New York Gov. David A. Paterson is going for broke — literally — to bolster his floundering re-election hopes. On Friday he launched a pair of television spots Friday that will cost his campaign $626,000 to air for the next week, according to advertising data obtained by CQ Politics.

The two ads, which the campaign hopes will jolt his approval ratings out of their year-long slump, are airing in the Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse media markets.

Both ads take a contrite tone while seeking to drive home the message that Paterson is fighting for the people of New York rather than special interests or his own political career. In the first, Paterson acknowledges that some people think he “shouldn’t be running for governor,” before listing a series of actions he’s taken that may not be politically strategic but helped the state cope with its budget crisis. In the second, he says he has learned from his mistakes.