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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

In the three weeks after Labor Day, $56.95M has been spent on #MISen advertising. 🔵 Abdul El-Sayed $8.69M 🔴 Mike Rogers $0.28M 🟡 Outside Groups: $39.14M (68.7% of spending) All in all, only 39.5% of ad spending favors the Dem candidate.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

This suggests ad sponsors see particular value in traditional ad mediums in the heat of the general election—or that they are having difficulty securing inventory on CTV, streaming & local cable.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

In the full cycle, ~49% of ad spending was spent on local broadcast stations. For the three weeks following Labor Day, however, broadcast ad accounted for 58% of ad spending.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

Ad spending in congressional and gubernatorial races in the three weeks following Labor Day totaled nearly $1 billion — with a majority (58%) going to broadcast ad spending. 20% of advertising cycle-to-date came during that period.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

In Senate races, GOP "candidates are spending comparatively little from their own campaigns funds on broadcast...Dem candidates, however, are disproportionately pulling the load on their own behalf. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into October.” — @mikefranz.bsky.social

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

Broadcast TV overview for SENATE races, since mid-Aug: • D candidates responsible for ~2/3rds of ads on their behalf, R candidates airing far less • Outside groups aired 60%+ of pro-R spots • D coordinated spending only picked up recently • Pro-R ads outpace pro-D ads

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

Broadcast TV overview for HOUSE races, since 8/17: • Rs have relied on coordinated spending more than Ds • Ds have increased their use of coordinated spending post-Labor Day • Rs rely more on outside groups and coordinated spending • Pro-D ads outpace pro-R ads

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

It is higher in House races (nearly 20% of spending) than in Senate races (almost 8% of spending). If we shift the focus from spending to airings, we find that in Senate races, coordinated spots make up 12% of ad airings and are double that (23.5%) in House races.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

While coordinated spending cycle-to-date landed at only 4% of the $4.7 billion spent on ads, it has ramped up in the last three weeks. In the three weeks following Labor Day, coordinated spending rose to account for 10.2% of total ad spending in federal and gubernatorial races.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

Two recent Supreme Court rulings have allowed parties and candidates to work together on unlimited election spending at less expensive rates for advertising, while parties can accept much larger contributions than candidates. Parties and candidates are starting to take advantage. 1/🧵

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Reposted by Wesleyan Media Project

Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · 9h

And this ⬇️ was as of early September…stay tuned for updates #2026midterms

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 4h

In the three weeks after Labor Day, there have been about 250,000 ad airings in the House and almost 300,000 ad airings in Senate races. This volume of advertising on broadcast television greatly surpasses the volume in the previous three midterm election cycles.

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Reposted by Wesleyan Media Project

James Sims @simsjames.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The @wesmediaproject.bsky.social "tracked about $80 million in spending on almost 170 unique [political] ads that use AI" this election cycle. "Republican sponsors—both candidates and interest groups—are much more likely to use AI than are Democratic sponsors." @efranklinfowler.bsky.social

salon.com

We’ve tracked $80M of spending on almost 170 AI‑generated political ads this year – it’s weird - Salon.com

Thanks to a patchwork of state legislation, many of these ads do not disclose the use of AI at all

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Because of that, the imbalance in ad spending between candidates and groups is greater for broadcast spots than for cable, digital, radio, and CTV ads—all of which are exempt from the lowest unit rate provision.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It is important to realize, however, that outside groups pay more for broadcast ads than candidates, who are given the lowest unit rate for these ads in the 45 days before a primary election and the 60 days before a general election.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Outside groups are dominating the ad spending landscape this year, particularly in Senate races. In Senate races, outside groups account for 72% of ad spending in the three weeks following Labor Day. In House races, outside groups accounted for 49% of spending during that period.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Twenty U.S. House races have seen over $5 million in advertising spending during the three weeks since Labor Day. And two House races — #IA01 and #CO08 — have *each* seen over $9 million in spending during that period.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

“I’m struggling to recall any ads like these in the past. When the U.S. government has funded paid ads in the past, it’s generally been to make the public aware of particular benefits they may be eligible for, whereas the recent ads closely resemble campaign ads.” – @tnridout.bsky.social

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

In the three weeks after Labor Day, $90.21M has been spent on #OHSen advertising. 🔵 Sherrod Brown: $10.17M 🔴 Jon Husted: $0.01M (+ $8M in coordinated spending) 🟡 Outside Groups: $69.74M (77.3% of spending) All in all, only 36.1% of ad spending favors the Dem candidate.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

GOP gubernatorial candidates have an ad spending advantage in the five races for Governor that have seen the most spending in the three weeks since Labor Day. % of pro-Democratic ad spending by race: #OHGov – 34.8% #WIGov – 34.8% #TXGov – 15.4% #GAGov – 7.5% #FLGov – 5.9%

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Nine Senate races featured $20M+ in ad spending in the 3 weeks after Labor Day: • Pro-Republican spending exceeded pro-Democratic spending in eight. • Outside groups made up the majority of spending in each. • Republican candidates have spent relatively little, relying on coordinated spending.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

In the three weeks after Labor Day, advertising spending in U.S. Senate races approached $500 million. More than half of this spending was concentrated in just three races: $112.58 million in the #TXSEN race, $90.21 million in #OHSEN, and $56.95 million in #MISEN.

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Reposted by Wesleyan Media Project

Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Not surprisingly 2026 general election advertising is shaping up to be all about the economy w/ Dems focusing on cost of living while Reps talk taxes. More on the $ in top races, ads by the US Government, and Trump mentions in our report ⬇️ @mikefranz.bsky.social @tnridout.bsky.social #2026midterms

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Data as of 9/13/26. Total spending may be greater than the sum of candidate & group spending, as the total includes any spending on party coordinated ads with candidates. Follow us to stay in the loop, and read more analysis in our latest press release: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-091...

mediaproject.wesleyan.edu

Republicans Outspend Democrats in Most Top Senate Races; Ohio Leads Senate and Governor Ad Spending - Wesleyan Media Project

Banner Year for Broadcast Ad Volume in Spite of Increased Digital Ad Spend (MIDDLETOWN, CT) September 17, 2026 – Over the past month, advertisers have spent more on pro-Republican ads than pro-Democra...

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the last month, $97.2M was spent in #OHSen — the most of any Senate race during that time period. 🔵 Sherrod Brown: $14.8M 🔴 Jon Husted: $1.74M 🟡 Outside Groups: $72.9M 41.6% of ad spending favors the Democratic candidate.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Over the past month, advertisers have spent more on pro-GOP ads than pro-Dem ads in 9 of 10 top Senate races, with #GASen being the exception. The upside for Democrats, per @mikefranz.bsky.social? Much of their spending comes from candidates, who receive the lowest unit rate from TV stations.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The number of Senate ads on broadcast television this year is on pace with previous years, even exceeding the number in 2022 and 2024. There has been a spike in such ads over the past few weeks, with volumes reaching over 60,000 per week.

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"2026 is shaping up to be a banner year" in U.S. political advertising, per @efranklinfowler.bsky.social. Why? 👉 Record TV airings in House & Gov races 👉 Rise of digital ads has not slowed TV ads 👉 Volume of federal TV ads in 2026 congressional contests nearly 2x what it was in 2012

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Outside groups accounted for the MAJORITY of ad spending in the last month in these races: #MSSen 89.3% #FLSen 82.7% #MESen 78.9% #IASen 78.9% #AKSen 78.4% #OHSen 75% #NCSen 73.8% #TXSen 68.9% #MASen 67.3% #MISen 65.2% #NESen 64.9% #SCSen 63.9% #KSSen 62.3% #MNSen 59.6% #NHSen 53.5% #GASen 53.4%

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Especially high spending in Ohio, Texas, Maine, and several other competitive House races. Read the full report: mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-091... @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social

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Wesleyan Media Project @wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Broadcast advertising volume remains strong, despite more and more spending on digital platforms, with House and Gubernatorial-race ad volumes reaching record highs.

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