2026 US Midterms: Political Ad Spending Surpasses $10 Billion – Where is the Money Coming from and What’s Driving the Increase? | Today’s news
Spending on political advertising for the 2026 US election has topped $10 billion, setting a new record for a midterm election cycle.
The total is expected to reach $11.6 billion by Election Day, according to media company AdImpact, as reported by TIME magazine.
The projected spending is higher than the $8.9 billion spent during the 2022 midterms, but falls short of the $11.2 billion seen during the 2024 presidential election cycle.
The surge comes as Republicans and Democrats compete for control of Congress, with wealthy donors and political groups spending heavily to influence key races, TIME reported Oct. 19.
Republicans outspent Democrats on television advertising in several hotly contested Senate races. In the nine tightest Senate races, Republicans spent $233 million on TV ads last month, compared to $121 million for Democrats, according to AdImpact data cited by TIME.
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Across Senate races that the Cook Political Report classifies as toss-ups, Republicans spent or set aside $947 million on advertising, compared to $625 million for Democrats. These numbers include commercials reserved for future airing as well as those already aired.
The difference is smaller in domestic races. Republicans outspent Democrats by $14 million in 21 toss-up contests.
Texas has become one of the most expensive Senate races this election cycle. Combined ad spending and future airtime bookings topped $500 million, according to AdImpact.
Democrat James Talarico is challenging Republican Ken Paxton in a contest that could affect the balance of power in the Senate. Talarico earned about $50 million more than Paxton between July and September. But Republican outside groups have spent heavily on advertising supporting Paxton.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, named by TIME as the largest individual donor to federal elections in the current cycle, contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund last month. The group transferred a matching amount to a Texas PAC that supports Paxton. Musk also donated $10 million to the Lone Star Liberty PAC in August.
The money did not go directly to Paxton’s campaign. Instead, it was channeled through outside political groups that can finance advertising independently of the candidates.
The Ohio Senate spent more than $450 million in combined ad spending, according to AdImpact. Republicans spent nearly $270 million supporting Jon Husted, while Democrats spent more than $180 million supporting Sherrod Brown.
Husted was appointed to replace JD Vance after Vance became vice president in 2025. The winner of the special election will have to run for the seat again in 2028 to secure a full six-year term.
Maine also saw big spending, with about $200 million earmarked for advertising. Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. Republican groups have spent or earmarked nearly $114 million in advertising since January, while Democrats have spent about $81 million.
How PACs and super PACs work
Political action committees (PACs) collect contributions to support or oppose candidates. In the 2025-2026 election cycle, individuals can contribute up to $3,500 per election to a federal candidate’s campaign and up to $5,000 annually to a traditional federal PAC. Separate limits apply to donations to national party committees.
Super PACs operate by different rules. They cannot contribute directly to candidates or coordinate their advertising with campaigns, but they can receive unlimited amounts from eligible donors to fund independent political advertising.
This allows wealthy donors to spend large sums to support or oppose candidates through outside groups, even as direct contributions to candidates are limited.
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The estimated $11.6 billion covers political advertising, not the full cost of running campaigns. Personnel, travel and electoral outreach add to election costs.
Research published in the American Political Science Review in 2021 estimated that a Senate candidate with an advantage of $2 million in television advertising could get about 10,000 votes. In a close match, that number could matter.
