In a conversation with the NewsHour’s Steve Goldbloom, NewsHour senior correspondent Gwen Ifill discussed reports about a shakeup in John McCain’s staff along with the messages voters are meant to take away from the campaign’s ad strategy, including independent ads from so-called 527 groups.

“They’re both trying to play to their strong suits but, it’s all very biographical for now. We’re only beginning to see the kinds of campagin ads where they take off after each other…We see it on the road, we see it in their statements but it’s just now getting into the advertising stage,” Ifill said.

Ifill had this to say about 527 ads in the campaign: “It is of a greater help to John McCain to have poeple like this working on his behalf than it is to Barack Obama because John McCain is financially outmatched right now, at least by Barack Obama. So anybody else who wants to spend their money and take some of the shine off Obama definitely benefits McCain, whether his name is mentioned or not.”

MP3: Listen to the complete conversation