Senate Democrats are making plans to reserve a significant amount of airtime for key battleground races in the upcoming fall election. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced a campaign that includes spending on TV, radio, and digital advertisements, with a focus on races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as other states with important contests like Ohio, Nevada, Arizona, and even Florida and Texas. This campaign represents more than double the party’s initial spending plan from the last election cycle and does not overlap with the Senate Majority PAC’s reservations.
The Senate Majority PAC, a top Democratic super PAC, has also announced plans to spend $239 million on a massive fall advertising campaign targeting many of the same key races as the DSCC. This includes significant investments in defending incumbents like Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, as well as supporting Democrats in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona. The SMP is also allocating substantial funds to help vulnerable Senate Democrats such as Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Sen. Jacky Rosen in Nevada.
When combined, the reservations made by both the DSCC and SMP amount to a total of $318 million in fall airtime. This significant investment in advertising could provide a crucial boost for Democrats as they compete across a challenging electoral map and work to maintain their Senate majority. While these reservation amounts can change, they represent an increase from the spending levels of these groups in the previous election cycle, indicating a heightened level of investment in key races this year.
Senate Republicans are also committing significant resources to advertising in key battleground races, with plans to spend at least $130 million on fall ad time thus far. The Senate Leadership Fund, a top GOP super PAC aligned with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, has announced plans to allocate substantial funds in races where Republicans feel confident about their chances of flipping Senate seats. Additionally, American Crossroads, an allied GOP group, is also planning to spend tens of millions of dollars in important states like Ohio and Montana.
Overall, the upcoming fall election season is shaping up to be a highly competitive and expensive battle for control of the Senate. Both Democrats and Republicans are pouring millions of dollars into advertising in key battleground races in an effort to secure or defend Senate seats. The significant reservations made by the DSCC and SMP, as well as the commitments from Senate Republicans, highlight the intense competition and high stakes of this election cycle. With a combined total of over $450 million in ad reservations already announced, it is clear that both parties are fully committed to competing for control of the Senate in the upcoming election.
