July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is using his fundraising advantage over John McCain to build a network of campaign workers in states Republicans have dominated for decades.

Obama, who has pledged to wage an all-out campaign in such states as North Carolina, Virginia and Colorado, poured more than three times as much as McCain into salaries in June, according to regulatory filings. McCain, by contrast, spent about twice as much as Obama on media advertising.

Each candidate spent about $26 million in June, the unofficial kickoff to the general election battle. Obama raised more than twice as much and created a bigger war chest for future months. The Illinois senator also is carving out a bigger travel budget and spending to advertise on the Internet, the source of much of his fundraising and organizing edge.

``It requires money, enthusiasm and communications technology; Obama has all three,'' said Stephen Wayne, a government professor at Georgetown University in Washington. ``He wants to keep McCain guessing about where to concentrate his campaign.''

The latest spending reports from Obama and McCain reflect their different strategies. Obama's report is full of bigger expenses for items such as $644,980 for staging, sound and lighting, and locations for huge rallies including a $96,121 charge from the Nissan Pavilion concert arena outside Washington.

Spending on Advertising

McCain spent the majority of his money -- $16 million -- on advertising, according to his filing with the U.S. Federal Election Commission. The Arizona senator is trying to take advantage of the higher marks that Americans give him when asked who would do a better job keeping the country safe.

``Clearly he is going after what they perceive to be Obama's Achilles heel -- national security,'' said Glenn Totten, a Democratic consultant who isn't working for Obama. ``The general strategy may very well be that if you can dig Obama into a pretty big hole, he may not be able to dig himself out.''

Obama reported spending about $5.4 million on a media buy and $2.2 million on print advertising.

`Spread the Map'

McCain, 71, is also less focused than Obama on organizing campaign operations throughout the country.

``One of our goals in this race is to spread the map,'' Obama, 46, told reporters traveling on his campaign plane on June 24. ``We might even be competing a little bit in Alaska. I don't know if I'll get a chance to visit, but right now we've got a shot.''

The effort is reflected in the $2.3 million that Obama spent on his June salaries, compared with McCain's $724,622. McCain spent even less on salaries during the month than New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who lost the Democratic nomination on June 3 and formally conceded four days later. She reported salary payouts of $935,734 in June.

Obama spent $4.2 million on travel in June, compared with about $2.7 million by McCain. The effort to visit and set up campaign offices in more places may also pay off for fundraising efforts, said Anthony Corrado, a fundraising expert at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

``There will be more reason for people to give since the campaign has a presence in their state,'' Corrado said.

Fundraising Records

Obama has shattered fundraising records, bringing in almost three times as much as McCain for the entire campaign. Last month, he raised about $52 million to McCain's $22 million.

The Democrat also has more of a fundraising burden. He bet that he can bring in more than the $84.1 million public grant for the general election period in September and October by seeking donations from his supporters. McCain plans to accept the public financing and will be able to spend that money only in the fall.

Obama, who leads McCain in polls of registered voters, needs to keep a large cash edge to justify his decision to opt out of the public financing system, said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. Obama has already shown he can use money wisely, Kersh said.

``Obama's general-election spending pattern to date looks a lot like his successful primary strategy vs. Hillary Clinton -- focus on `bricks and mortar,''' Kersh said. ``McCain's obligingly re-running a version of the Clinton operation thus far: disorganization on the staffing side, and heavy spending on TV, without a great deal to show for it.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net; Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 22, 2008 00:01 EDT