Political Ad Dollars Pour Into Local Markets.

The long-anticipated fall political advertising surge has arrived. AdImpact says $1.58 billion in political ads aired during September, nearly double the amount that aired in August and 41% more than in September 2022.

The acceleration was even more pronounced in the number of ads hitting the broadcast airwaves. AdImpact tracked 1.2 million broadcast political ad airings during September, up 116% from August and 36% vs. September 2022.

Meanwhile, more than $1 billion in advertising is currently reserved for congressional races during October and early November, setting up another heavy month for media outlets as Election Day approaches. AdImpact says $568.7 million of those reservations target Senate contests and $521.2 million target House races.

The September surge is particularly notable for radio as political dollars appear to be arriving later in the election calendar. AdImpact’s most recent media breakout put cumulative radio political spending at $166 million with sellers saying they are seeing the amount of activity for radio coming in much later for in quarter this cycle vs. 2022.

The latest September numbers provide a clearer comparison of the broader market. Total political spending across media during the month was 41% higher than in September 2022, while the number of broadcast airings was 36% greater. AdImpact’s historical data also shows how important the final stretch can be. In the 2024 election cycle, 51% of all political advertising spending occurred during the final eight weeks.

AdImpact’s cycle-to-date data shows $7.38 billion had been spent through Sept. 30 vs. $5.31 billion at the same point in the 2022 cycle — a difference of roughly 39%. That includes not only the ads that were bought this year, but also a year ago when campaigns were already gearing up.

The comparison nevertheless illustrates the scale of the current election cycle as the industry’s biggest spending period gets underway. AdImpact continues to project $11.6 billion in total spending for the 2025-26 cycle, including $273 million for radio.

Congressional races are driving much of the latest advertising activity. More than $1 billion targeting House and Senate contests aired during September, nearly twice the $515.8 million that aired in August. To put that into perspective, AdImpact says congressional spending during September 2022 totaled $589 million and increased to $821 million in September 2024 before topping $1 billion this year.

Analysts think Democrats could win control of the House, but there is no sign of retreat by Republicans. The result is House races alone generated $329 million in September advertising. AdImpact reports $243.7 million in linear media spending vs. $171.9 million across 126 districts during September 2024.

That money was spread across 146 House districts and that widening geographic footprint could be significant for local radio because political advertising demand is spreading across more markets rather than being concentrated exclusively in a handful of high-profile statewide contests.

New York was the largest market for House general-election spending during September at $25 million, according to AdImpact’s market analysis. In Texas, the Rio Grande Valley city of Harlingen, TX followed at $13.1 million, with Denver at $11.5 million, Norfolk at $11.4 million and Des Moines at $9.7 million.

Another Billion Reserved

The advertising pipeline suggests September’s surge will carry well into October. AdImpact reports $1.08 billion in future reservations across congressional elections. Among Senate contests, Ohio has $137.5 million currently reserved, followed by North Carolina at $66.6 million, Michigan at $60.9 million, Iowa at $59.1 million and Maine at $57.1 million.

The company’s data also points to an unusually concentrated fall advertising environment in several states. Texas attracted $221.6 million in political advertising during September, followed by Ohio at $201.3 million and Michigan at $136.9 million. Detroit alone accounted for $168 million, while Cleveland totaled $57.8 million and Dallas $44.2 million.