Yet another Republican in the Connecticut Senate race launched a new television ad Tuesday — 10 months before the primary — further underscoring how competitive and expensive the contest has already become.

Former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley (R) hit the airwaves Tuesday with his second ad, titled “Future.— Foley follows fellow Republican and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, who went up on the airwaves for a single day last week to coincide with President Barack Obama’s trip to the state to raise money for Sen. Chris Dodd (D).

The move by Foley and McMahon to buy TV time this early shows how competitive the race for the GOP nomination has become with the convention and primary more than six and nine months away, respectively. Foley and McMahon, both of whom have contributed personally to their campaigns to varying degrees, are attempting to set themselves apart from the pack early with their battling TV ad scripts.

“Thanks to Washington, every child in America starts off over $38,000 in debt,— Foley says in the new ad. “I’m Tom Foley. While Washington has gone on a spending spree, they’ve left our children to pay the bill. It’s just irresponsible to mortgage their future with our debt.—

Foley and McMahon are only two of the five Republicans looking to challenge Dodd, who is in a tough fight to win re-election, according to public polls.

Former Rep. Rob Simmons, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri and businessman Peter Schiff are also running for the GOP nod, although none has gone on the air yet.