The total amount spent on political ads during the 2024 election reached nearly $11 billion, setting a new record and reflecting a significant rise from the $9 billion allocated in 2020.
This information comes from AdImpact, a company that monitors political ad expenditures. The figure aligns with the firm’s prediction for 2023, which forecasted a record-breaking spending year in 2024.
As expected, the largest portion of the total spending was directed toward the presidential election. Despite their loss, Democrats spent more than Republicans on campaign ads.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign operation, which includes joint fundraising efforts with President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, spent over $880 million since the beginning of 2023. In comparison, President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign operation, encompassing his campaign, the national Republican Party, and related joint fundraising committees, spent approximately $425 million on ads.
In total, the Democratic campaign and its supporting outside groups spent around $1.8 billion, while Trump’s campaign and pro-Republican groups spent about $1.4 billion on advertisements.
Senate races, which will be controlled by Republicans starting next year, accounted for approximately $2.6 billion in ad spending. Of this, $1.4 billion came from Democratic candidates and supporting groups, while $1.2 billion was spent by Republicans and pro-Republican organizations. Ohio’s Senate race, which saw Republican Bernie Moreno’s victory, was the priciest, with over $538 million spent by both campaigns and outside groups.
House races attracted $1.7 billion in ad spending, with Democrats contributing $940 million and Republicans $760 million. New York’s 19th District, where NBC News projects Democrat Josh Riley will beat Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, saw the most significant expenditure, with nearly $40 million spent on ads.
A smaller number of contested gubernatorial races this election cycle garnered nearly $530 million in ad spending, including races held in 2023. The North Carolina gubernatorial race, where Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is expected to defeat Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, led the pack with almost $120 million in spending, following controversy surrounding Robinson’s alleged inflammatory remarks on a pornography site.
The other downballot races, including ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments, state legislative contests, and more, saw $2.9 billion in ad spending. Notably, Florida’s ballot amendment to legalize marijuana, which appears to have failed, drew more than $122 million in advertising—the highest amount spent on any downballot issue.

{Matzav.com}