Midterm Ad Spending Passes Record 11 Billion Dollars

Midterm election advertising spending has passed the previous record. NPR reported, citing the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, that 11.22 billion dollars has already been spent or is reserved through Election Day.

AdImpact’s full forecast is 11.6 billion dollars, above the 11.2 billion dollars of the 2024 presidential cycle and the 8.9 billion dollars of the 2022 midterms.

In four battleground Senate races, candidates spent more than 15 million dollars on fundraising ads alone during the 2025-26 cycle, NPR reported.

President Donald Trump has been campaigning in competitive areas including Texas, Mississippi and Kansas. NPR’s analysis said his message often drifts toward jokes at rallies rather than the traditional midterm pitch of promoting the Republican tax cuts and criticizing Democrats. That is NPR’s analysis, not an established fact.

By medium, broadcast television is the largest at 5.6 billion dollars, followed by connected television, in which television ads are delivered over the internet, at 2.6 billion dollars, digital at 1.6 billion dollars and cable at 1.4 billion dollars.

The surge means voters will see that much more advertising in the days before the election, and the market is expected to grow hotter as Election Day nears.