More than $11 billion in political advertising spending recorded ahead of the 2026 midterms revealed a widening divide within traditional television. It is surprising enough that broadcast advertising continued to grow, but itโs even more unusual that streaming more than doubled its take to overtake cable as the second-largest destination for campaign dollars.
The shift offers a clearer picture of how political advertising is evolving heading into 2028.
Broadcast and cable television accounted for approximately 61% of political advertising spending through Oct. 28, down from nearly 72% during the full 2022 election cycle, according to AdImpact data provided to TheWrap.
Television remains difficult for political advertisers to replace. Its ability to reach large audiences quickly continues to attract billions of dollars, even as streaming and social platforms offer more targeted alternatives. But the election results raise another question: Are campaigns getting enough value from their advertising investments to justify spending so heavily on traditional TV?
Jaime Vasil, group vice president of client development at advertising technology firm Basis, said she was surprised by how much money continued flowing to traditional television.
โWhat stands out is how much money is being spent and how resilient traditional television continues to be,โ she said.
Political advertising spending reached $11.4 billion through Oct. 28, approximately 28% above the $8.9 billion recorded during the full 2022 election cycle, according to AdImpact.
Broadcast accounted for $5.7 billion, or 50% of spending, while cable attracted $1.25 billion, or 11%. Connected TV generated $2.4 billion, representing 21% of the market.
Other digital advertising โ including on platforms like Facebook, Google, Snapchat and X โ increased 63% to $1.7 billion through Oct. 28, up from $1 billion during the 2022 midterms, while its share…