Ad Spending on Congress Races Soars to $220 Million

Ad Spending on Congress Races Soars to $220 Million; Bloomberg

Candidates, parties and outside groups have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on political advertisements aimed at swaying the Nov. 2 U.S. congressional elections, a study found. 

Ad spending on House and Senate races climbed to $220 million through Sept. 15, from $135 million at the same point in 2008, according to data analyzed by the Wesleyan Media Project. The increase mainly comes from Senate races, with Florida, Pennsylvania and Nevada topping the list, the study found. 

“Both Republicans and Democrats have a legitimate shot of having majorities in Congress,” spurring spending, said Travis Ridout, co-director of the project, in a statement today. 


Americans’ dissatisfaction with the economy and the direction of the country is jeopardizing Democratic control of the House and Senate. Opposition to President Barack Obama has also fueled an increase in spending by Republican-leaning outside groups. 

Outside groups including Crossroads GPS, advised by Republican strategist Karl Rove, have spent more than $31 million on ads for this year’s Senate races, up from $16 million in 2008, the Wesleyan Media Project found. Candidates in those races have more than doubled their spending to $121 million.

Read the rest of the Bloomberg article here.