As reported at the mother ship, Barack Obama has begun running his first general elections ads in Missouri and 17 other states.

The ad is similar to one Obama ran during the primaries — looks like it could have been shot at the same house — alternating between a grainy photo montage and a shot of the candidate in a living-room setting.

Obama’s newest ad highlights his ties to the Midwest — his mom grew up in Wichita, Kan. and he cut his political teeth in Chicago, where he now lives.

“I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents,” Obama says in the ad. “We didn’t have much money. But they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up — accountability and self reliance”

The AP adroitly points out that the ad is not actually running in Kansas, but could be seen by those who share a television market with Kansas City, Mo.