Aired Spending By Party: 🔴$769.4M 🔵 $669.9M ⚪$132.5M Highest Aired Spending Advertiser: SLF PAC ($82.7M) Top States: OH ($185.5M), TX ($182.6M), CA ($154.0M) Top Markets: Detroit ($57.3M), Cleveland ($57.0M), Los Angeles ($54.7M) Broadcast Airings: 1.2M Most Aired Broadcast Ad: Click Here Top Issues in Broadcast Ads (DEM): Healthcare, Donald Trump, Data Centers
Top Issues in Broadcast Ads (GOP): Taxation, Crime, Immigration
This Edition's Trivia: By what percentage has Kansas Senate general election ad spending increased from the 2022 contest to this year's?
— NEW REPORT | The Fight for Congress
The Fight for Congress has never been more expensive.
With $3.8B already on the air, Congressional ad spending has topped its 2024 pace by more than $870M.
The money is also moving differently. Republicans have reversed historical spending trends. They hold the aired spending advantage in seven of eight Senate races and 25 of 42 House races, which are rated "Toss Up" or "Lean" by The Cook Political Report.
The Fight for Congress breaks down the political advertising spending and messaging trends shaping the 2026 midterm elections.
— Battleground Senate Election Ad Spending Tracker
We've tracked more than $1.3B in aired spending and $304.0M in future reservations targeting eight competitive Senate general elections. Since the last AdVantage Flash, North Carolina and Georgia have shuffled out of the visual, and we welcome Kansas. Republicans enter the final weeks of the election with a future reservation advantage in seven of eight of the contests.
What's Shifted in the Fight for the Senate
Outside Groups Pull Back in North Carolina and Georgia — In recent weeks, Republican and Democratic outside groups have canceled millions in future ad reservations in North Carolina and Georgia. On the Republican side, Senate Leadership Fund and Old North removed $32.5M in linear reservations from North Carolina, while Senate Leadership Fund canceled $7.6M in Georgia. On the Democratic side, WinSenate pulled $12.4M from North Carolina, while The Georgia Way canceled $7.0M in Georgia.
DSCC Enters Kansas — Yesterday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) launched a coordinated ad buy with Adam Hamilton's Senate campaign in Kansas. They've placed more than $800K so far.
Senate Leadership Fund Goes on the Defense — In recent weeks, Senate Leadership Fund made its first investments of the cycle in Kansas ($11.2M), South Carolina ($4.9M), and Nebraska ($4.3M).
Whatley Goes Dark in North Carolina — It's been eight days since Michael Whatley last aired a linear TV ad. During that period, Roy Cooper's campaign had 4.0K broadcast airings. Looking ahead, Cooper has $8M in future reservations, compared to $0 for Whatley.
RNC Places Coordinated Buy with Hinson — Earlier this week, the Republican National Committee (RNC) placed $3.8M in coordinated ad reservations with the Ashley Hinson campaign in Iowa. This marks the first time on record that the RNC is running a coordinated ad buy with a non-presidential candidate.
— Ad Trends Around the Nation
Texas Senate Blows Past $500M — Including primary, runoff, and general election spending, the Texas Senate race has seen more than $500M in total ad spending and reservations. It is the second non-presidential race to cross this threshold, only behind the 2024 Ohio Senate race. In the general election, Republicans have a $140.9M total ad spending advantage over Democrats. Republican outside groups have spent $219.2M compared to Democrats' $17.6M.
Republicans' Ad Advantage in Costliest Gov Races — This year's gubernatorial general elections have seen $1.2B in total ad spending and future reservations. The most expensive contests are Ohio ($163M), Georgia ($117.4M), and Texas ($106M). Across all three races, Republicans hold commanding advantages in combined aired spending and future reservations, leading Democrats by $80.3M in Ohio, $79.2M in Georgia, and $75.0M in Texas.
Almost $70M in Broadcast Ads Mentioning Iran — Political advertisers have aired more than $69.9M in broadcast ads mentioning Iran this year. Across more than 130 unique creatives, these ads frequently link the war in Iran to rising energy costs, particularly gas and diesel prices. Democratic advertisers account for 99% of all broadcast airings mentioning Iran. Some of the most competitive Senate races have seen the highest spending on these ads, led by Michigan ($8.1M), Maine ($7.1M), Iowa ($6.3M), Georgia ($4.0M), and Ohio ($3.5M). We tracked 18.6K broadcast airings mentioning Iran in October, compared to just 2.1K from March through August.
Going National or Local for Game Day Audiences — Political advertisers are taking different approaches to securing valuable airtime during NFL games. With local ad rates for outside groups exceeding $400K in some games in battleground markets, certain advertisers are opting for national buys instead. Recently, Republican group Texas PAC chose to air a Texas Senate ad nationally during the 1 p.m. ET NFL window instead of airing an ad locally during the Cowboys-Texans game.
#TXPol: "I'm Texas Senator Angela Paxton. People have asked my thoughts about this election and turns out, I have some ... I'm voting for the Republican ticket on November 3rd."
Texas PAC is up with a new ad featuring Angela Paxton, Ken Paxton's estranged wife.
