Barack Obama's presidential campaign has put the brakes on ads that were running in seven states carried by the GOP in the 2004 presidential election, FOX News has learned.

Of the seven states -- including Alaska, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota -- Florida and Virginia are considered key battlegrounds this year. Obama's decision to stop advertising in those states is raising eyebrows.

Aides to Obama told FOX News that the changes are related to the convention next week. They wouldn't discuss the specifics of their ad strategy, but the Obama campaign insists that it has not pulled out of those states permanently, calling this a temporary suspension.

When Obama's campaign took over the Democratic Party earlier this year, it embraced Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, which is aimed at courting Democrats nationwide. The strategy has generated controversy, though, because many Democrats say it wastes money in states where they have no chance of winning.

The suspension of ads in some states comes after Obama and McCain exchanged ads Thursday accusing the other of being out of touch with the average citizen because of the number of homes he owns or the amount of money he has.

FOX News' Carl Cameron contributed to this report