With Labor Day now behind us, the political advertising floodgates are expected to open in the coming weeks. It begins with momentum. AdImpact says August was the biggest month for political ad spending in 2024 so far, with $1.04 billion spent. That’s nearly double the $523 million spent during July. And since Jan. 1, it has tracked $3.3 billion spent on political ads. When combined with what was spent during the primary season last year, AdImpact calculates total ad spending during the 2024 election cycle now totals $4.61 billion as of Aug. 30. That compares to $3.59 billion spent at this point during the 2020 cycle.
Democrats have outspent Republicans so far this year by a $1.56 billion to $1.39 billion margin. AdImpact says it has also measured $350 million in ad spending by independent candidates. But the biggest surprise is likely who has spent the most.
Despite only having been at the top of the ticket for just seven weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is the biggest individual advertiser so far in 2024. It says she has spent $203.5 million on ads, outpacing President Biden’s campaign, which spent $175.4 million before dropping out of the race July 21. MAGA Inc., the political action committee backing former President Trump ranks third, spending $142.5 million, followed by the Trump campaign, which has spent $117.3 million on its own.
During the past two weeks, AdImpact says it tracked $439.72 million in political ads in the period leading up to Labor Day weekend. The top markets where the biggest hauls were recorded were Detroit ($27.9 million), Philadelphia ($26 million), and Las Vegas ($23.7 million). The highest spending advertisers during the final two weeks of August were Harris for President ($62.9 million), MAGA Inc. ($44 million), and Trump for President ($33.6 million).
AdImpact also has good news for radio, which typically plays a larger role in the election once people begin to vote. Its most recent tally shows nearly $1.8 billion has already been reserved to run nationwide through Election Day. The markets where the most ad time that has been reserved are Philadelphia ($127.4 million), Las Vegas ($107.6 million), Phoenix ($107.5 million), Los Angeles ($84.6 million), and Detroit ($81.6 million).
It also reports that Pennsylvania is the state with the most political ad time booked — with $305 million in reservations through Election Day, while Ohio, Michigan, California and Arizona are also benefiting from the campaign’s final days.
Radio stations are also likely to gain from several state ballot initiatives, including a number of ballot measures focused on abortion rights. AdImpact says it has already tracked $231 million of issue ad reservations. The biggest total is in Nevada, where $26 million of ad time has been reserved related to a proposition to adopt ranked-choice voting in the state. California, where three hotly contested initiatives are on November’s ballot, ranks second. More than $20 million of ad time has been reserved there.
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