WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. George W. Bush substantially outspent Vice President Al Gore on television advertising in Ohio in mid-October, a time when polls showed the Republican presidential nominee improved his lead in the battleground state.

        Mr. Bush and his allies spent $923,595 on Ohio ads between Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, compared with $552,080 by Mr. Gore and the Democrats, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, which is monitoring campaign advertising in the nation's top 75 media markets.

        The difference suggests Mr. Gore directed some of his resources to states where he might have a better chance against Mr. Bush, who leads in Ohio by 8 percentage points, the latest Ohio Poll found. Mr. Bush led Mr. Gore by 4 points in September.

        In mid-October, Mr. Gore concentrated his advertising on Portland, Ore.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Las Vegas, Nev., and Orlando, Fla., markets in states that are considered close or up-for-grabs.

        Mr. Bush targeted Orlando, Miami, Albuquerque and Las Vegas. The candidates are matching each other in most states thought of as competitive while conceding the airwaves in others.

        Mr. Bush, for example, has spent $5.4 million since June on ads in California, a

        state Mr. Gore has ignored when it comes to advertising, confident his cushion in the polls there will extend through Election Day.

        Over the past five months, Mr. Bush has spent $8 million on advertising in Ohio, the Brennan Center found, while Mr. Gore has spent $7.8 million. The most popular market in Ohio has been Cleveland, where television viewers have been exposed to 3,650 ads for Mr. Gore and 3,026 spots for Mr. Bush.

        Kara Gerhardt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Gore in Ohio, said the candidate spent $900,000 on advertising in the state last week and that the numbers in the Brennan study do not reflect any shift in strategy.

        “We're in Ohio to win,” she said.

        In the last days before the elec tion, both campaigns are preparing get-out-the-vote efforts among core supporters and potential swing voters.

        “We feel pretty good about the campaign but we're not taking anything for granted,” said Bob Paduchik, executive director of the Bush organization in Ohio.

        Political parties are on track to spend more money than the presidential candidates on television ads for the first time in history, according to the Brennan Center. The two major parties had spent a combined $67.3 million through Oct. 24, while Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore spent $49.6 million.

        So-called “soft money,” unlimited donations from individuals, corporations or labor unions, is the fuel behind many of the ad buys. Soft money is restricted to party-building activities, but parties often use the funds to promote candidates' messages.

        The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group that analyzes campaign finance, found that two Tristate business leaders are among the top donors of direct contributions and soft money.

        Carl Lindner Jr., of American Financial Group Inc., and his wife, Edyth, have given at least $786,000, with 65 percent of the money going to Republicans. Richard Farmer, of Cintas Corp., and his wife, Joyce, have contributed $722,500 to Republicans, the center reported.

        “Candidates are playing bit parts to the leading roles of parties and interest groups,” said E. Joshua Rosenkranz, president of the Brennan Center. “This is a topsy-turvy election, where the players that are legally barred from running any advertising for candidates are buying most of the air time.”

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