Two Republican super PACs and other Trump-aligned groups have reserved more than $150 million in advertising for the 2026 midterm elections. The spending is targeted at House and Senate races, including several districts and states that Donald Trump won by significant margins in 2024 but have since become competitive.
This influx of funding follows months in which several Republican candidates were outspent by Democratic opponents. In the Texas Senate race, Democratic nominee James Talarico held 12 times more cash on hand than Republican incumbent Ken Paxton as of the June campaign finance deadline. However, pro-Paxton ad reservations for September now total more than $94 million, exceeding the roughly $20 million reserved for Talarico in the same period.
According to data from the tracking firm AdImpact, Republican candidates and groups have pledged $557 million compared to $343 million for Democrats across the nine most competitive Senate races. Republicans hold a spending advantage in eight of those nine contests, with Georgia being the only exception. The reservations include television, streaming, and digital advertisements.
The spending is increasingly focused on defending Republican seats in states such as Alaska, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio. In the House, Trump-aligned PACs are funding advertisements in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, Kentucky’s 6th District, and Alabama’s 2nd District. These are areas Donald Trump carried by 14 to 18 percentage points in 2024.
For voters, this means a significant increase in political advertisements on television, streaming services, and digital platforms leading up to the November elections. These ads are a primary way candidates communicate their platforms or critique their opponents' records. While Democratic candidates currently hold more direct campaign cash, which allows them to purchase ads at lower regulated rates, the higher volume of total spending by Republican super PACs—which pay higher market rates—is intended to boost candidates in regions that were previously considered safe for the GOP.
The surge in spending by outside groups like MAGA Inc., No Going Back PAC, and Safety and Affordability PAC is aimed at House and Senate races. These groups can raise and spend unlimited sums, unlike individual candidate campaigns. Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson noted that while these funds can insulate candidates, they may not change voter sentiment regarding broader issues such as the cost of living. Future spending totals are expected to fluctuate as AdImpact reports that few ads have been booked for October in some states, while others, like Ohio, already have $116 million reserved through the end of the election cycle.