More Money
There is an open U.S. Senate seat in Iowa in the November general election…and it’s one of eight generally recognized battleground races. And with that, comes tons of advertising dollars.
Inside Radio reports that the ad-tracking firm AdImpact says more than a half-billion dollars is already reserved between now and election day in those eight states…$549 million in fall reservations to be exact.
Republican advertisers have the advantage in six, including Iowa, and there is plenty more money waiting to hit the airwaves.
Ohio is shaping up as the biggest advertising battlefield. AdImpact’s reservation tracker shows Republicans with $77.9 million booked in the Senate race and Democrats with $69.1 million — nearly $150 million combined.
Overall, the Republican-backed Senate Leadership Fund has booked $205 million in fall reservations, while the Democrats’ WinSenate has $184 million lined up. SLF, as we’ve told you previously, has dropped $33 million in the Iowa race alone.
Ad Impact notes that candidates themselves are adding millions more to the pipeline, including Iowa Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson with $3.8 million in future reservations.
Overall, AdImpact reports $5.23 billion has been spent so far in the 2026 election cycle though last Friday. That is more than a third more than the $3.88 billion that was spent at this point in the 2022 midterm election. And in the first two weeks of this month alone, it reports $317.4 million in political advertising aired.
And there’s still 75 days until election day.
