Election Day has arrived, and the latest data on ad spending highlights the significant efforts by both the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns in swing states. Presidential campaigns collectively spent $2.6 billion on ads from Super Tuesday through November 1, with Democrats spending $1.6 billion and Republicans $993 million.
This figure includes spending from official campaigns, joint party campaigns, and victory funds. Notably, Republicans outspent Democrats by $6.9 million in the previous week, marking one of the few instances where the GOP had a spending advantage.
A considerable portion of the spending has gone into seven key battleground states, with a combined $1.8 billion invested since late July. Pennsylvania leads with $264 million spent, followed by Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona.
Surprisingly, Florida, a major battleground in the 2020 election, is absent from the top five states, despite $240 million being spent there in 2020. This shift highlights how campaign strategies are being adjusted to target key demographics and regions based on evolving voting patterns.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has launched a $7 million “I Will Vote” campaign to boost voter turnout, using various media, including mobile billboards, print ads, radio spots, and online ads across multiple platforms.
Kamala Harris
The campaign has attracted over 1 million daily visits to its website, which provides essential information about polling locations and voting rights. Targeted at diverse groups, including Black, Native American, LGBTQ+, rural, and Latino communities, the DNC’s initiative uses culturally tailored content to engage these voters in multiple languages.
As the election nears, the ad messaging from both parties has become increasingly targeted. The most common issues in Democratic ads focus on taxation, abortion, the economy, and healthcare, with a strong emphasis on Harris’s character and background as a former prosecutor.
On the Republican side, Trump’s ads primarily focus on immigration, followed by inflation, crime, taxation, and the economy. Both parties have honed their messages to appeal directly to undecided voters and solidify their base, utilizing increasingly granular targeting to reach specific households.
While digital ads have made up 17% of the total presidential ad spend across platforms like Meta, Google, Snap, and X, they remain a smaller part of the overall strategy compared to traditional broadcast ads. Democrats have spent significantly more on platforms like Meta and Google, while Republicans have outspent Democrats on X.
As Election Day approaches, both campaigns are closely monitoring polls and early voting data, shifting their ad spending to areas with the greatest potential for impact. The Harris campaign remains optimistic, focusing on economic issues, while Trump’s ads continue to appeal to his base, aiming to increase voter turnout among his supporters.
