AS VEGAS (AP) - Politicians have spent more than $30 million this year on television ads in Nevada in hotly-contested presidential and congressional races.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent more than $240,000 on TV ads in Las Vegas in late August alone - much more than President Barack Obama.

Las Vegas television executives say they've never seen this kind of spending before.

Las Vegas ranks in the top five markets for political ad buys ahead of the November elections.

In the race to fill the Senate vacancy left by John Ensign, a Republican appointee and a Democratic congresswoman together spent nearly $80,000 on TV ads over 15 days ending Sept. 10.

Former Rep. Dean Heller is running against Shelley Berkley, a seven-term congresswoman from Las Vegas.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.