The Cook Political Report and AdImpact today are announcing a new tool, The Cook Political Report Battleground Issue Tracker, to track the most important issues shaping the races for the Senate and the House in 2026.
Each week, The Cook Political Report Battleground Issue Tracker — powered by AdImpact — will rank the top issues featured in broadcast campaign advertising in every competitive Senate and House contest, which are those rated by the Cook Political Report as Toss-Up or Lean. These rankings will be available by both dollars spent and total ad airings.
“The Cook Political Report has long relied on AdImpact for its best-in-class tracking, cataloging and synthesizing of the torrent of campaign ad content,” said Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Cook Political Report. “We are excited to partner with them this cycle to help our audiences better understand which issues candidates, outside groups and the parties think are the most impactful in the races that will decide control of Congress.”
“Record primary spending signals just how high the stakes are in 2026,” said John Link, SVP of Data at AdImpact. “Our partnership with The Cook Political Report delivers a clear, weekly view into the issues shaping the most competitive races and how those strategies are evolving.”
By focusing on districts and states that will be competitive in November, this tracker will zoom in on the messaging that both parties believe will be the most compelling to voters in the swingiest parts of the country.
The Cook Political Report Battleground Issue Tracker will first monitor issues and the spending behind them in these contests’ primaries, then transition to general election spending. With that shift, we will be able to monitor the possible changes in messaging among candidates and campaigns as they move beyond the primary and into the general election.
The tracker will be updated weekly, with regular analysis published by the Cook Political Report team.
To showcase the power of this new tool, The Cook Political Report has published an in-depth look at broadcast ads in Texas’s Senate and House primaries ahead of the March 3 election. Read that here.
While Texas’s Senate race and most of these House contests are not currently ranked as competitive, CPR is using the same metrics as its overall tracker of competitive races to assess the environment in the Lone Star State.
