WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Gov. Mitt Romney is hitting the air in five states four months sooner than any major presidential candidate did in 2004 -- the latest sign the 2008 race for the White House is operating at an accelerated pace.

"In modern campaigns this is the earliest we have ever seen one of the top-tier candidates go on the air," said Evan Tracey of TNSMI/Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN's consultant on television advertising spending. "To put it in context, Howard Dean was the earliest in the 2003 election for the Democratic primary and he was on the air in mid June."

Tracey said the accelerated pace of the campaign coupled with Romney's relatively low name identification likely triggered the Massachusetts Republican to hit the air early.

"The other front-running candidates like McCain and Giuliani are much better known to voters," he said. "Romney is known in the activist community and the insider community and this is really a chance he can use television to communicate to a larger and more broader audience, especially in the early primary states."

Tracey said Romney's rivals will likely follow suit if the polls begin to shift in the former governor's favor.

"If the Romney campaign starts to move up in the polls, especially in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, then yes, he's going to move up the other campaigns time tables for paid campaign advertising," he said.

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-- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Posted 2/20/2007 02:39:00 PM | Permalink