Political advertising in 2024 has been labeled as “unprecedented” and we now know to what extent those new levels are after August ad spending has been calculated.
According to AdImpact, through the first half of August, Republicans have spent $151 million in advertising. Those figures are significantly above the $105 million spent in 2020 and the paltry $14.7 million it spent in 2016.
Meanwhile, Democratic spending has slowed slightly compared to 2020. The party has spent $129.9 million in 2024, less than the $140.1 million spent during the last cycle. Similarly to Republicans, Democrats spent significantly less in 2016, with $47.5 million during the month.
Those figures represent spending by political parties, issue groups, political action committees, as well as by individual candidates.
The report from AdImpact comes as the MAGA super PAC announced it would spend $100 million in seven swing states in the final two weeks of August to support the candidacy of Republican Donald Trump. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris booked $90 million in political advertising reservations in her own right during the closing stages of the month.
