Political ads are everywhere. It’s not your imagination. It’s a historic tidal wave of ads.
The post-Labor Day political advertising rush has hit all across the U.S., but specifically in the battleground states – those that will go Democrat or Republican.
AdImpact reports that $510 million in political advertising aired nationwide during the first two weeks of September alone. Texas and Ohio each attracted more than $70 million.
AdImpact has tracked more than $613 million in future advertising reservations targeting just nine competitive Senate races. That represents only a portion of the political money already booked through Election Day, and provides another indication that the election-year advertising market is about to be flooded with ads.
AdImpact is forecasting a record $11.6 billion for the full 2026 cycle. The latest numbers show $6.3 billion in political advertising had aired through Sept. 14, putting the 2026 cycle 37% ahead of the comparable point in 2022 midterms.
AdImpact says campaigns and congressional party committees currently have $25.7 million in future coordinated reservations across 41 races.
Political issue advertising is adding another layer of spending. AdImpact says Build American AI recently placed $7.6 million in advertising nationally and across Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin and Virginia, supporting data-center development.