Republican Senate campaigns and their allied groups poured far more new money into television advertising than Democrats did between August and September, according to AdImpact Politics figures released Wednesday, with Texas accounting for nearly half of the gap.
Across seven states, GOP spending increased by a combined $252.3 million month over month, compared to a $97.9 million increase from Democrats. That leaves Republicans $154.4 million ahead in new spending.
Texas drove the surge. Republican ad spending there jumped by $116 million from August to September, versus an $18.9 million increase for Democrats, a difference of $97.1 million. Republican nominee Ken Paxton announced a $20 million ad buy Wednesday, according to Politico, with spots set to begin running Friday in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio before expanding statewide. Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in November.
Much of the outside money flowing into the Texas race has come through Texas PAC, a group tied to the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). Texas PAC purchased an initial $51.3 million in broadcast advertising in September across the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin markets, according to AdImpact figures reported by the Texas Tribune. That move came after Talarico had advertised through much of the summer while Republican spending lagged, the Tribune reported.
Where else the money is moving
Ohio posted the second-largest Republican increase, up $41.8 million against a $15.7 million Democrat rise, a $26.1 million gap. Michigan followed, with a $32.1 million Republican increase compared to $20.6 million for Democrats, an $11.5 million difference.
Texas, Ohio, and Michigan together account for $189.9 million of the Republican increase across the seven states — roughly three-quarters of the total.
New Hampshire Republicans increased spending by $18.2 million against an $11.6 million Democrat rise, a $6.6 million gap. In Iowa, the Republican increase was $15.5 million versus $10.3 million for Democrats, a $5.2 million difference. Alaska saw a $13.9 million Republican increase against $9 million for Democrats, a $4.9 million gap. North Carolina had the smallest margin of the seven states, with Republicans up $14.8 million and Democrats up $11.8 million, a $3 million difference.
Democrats increased spending in every one of the seven states tracked, but in each case their increase trailed the Republican one. The figures reflect month-to-month changes in spending, not each party’s total outlay in these Senate races.
