U.S. political ad spending during election cycles 2014-2024, by medium

Broadcast TV has been the largest recipient of political advertising spending in the United States. In the 2024 presidential elections, around 5.1 billion U.S. dollars in ad buys were forecast to be devoted to the medium. On the other hand, digital video spending was forecast to amount to 1.2 billion dollars, down from 1.4 billion in 2022. Connected TV (CTV) was expected to add up to 1.3 billion dollars. The 2024 U.S. presidential election was projected to drive an all-time high in political ad spending in the country.

Digital is not to be discounted in the electoral race

Despite broadcast TV’s might in the political ad arena, the trend towards digital media in political advertising keeps growing. For example, governmental and political advertisers registered by far the highest ad spending on Meta between November 2018 and April 2022, for a total of more than half a billion dollars. When considering political ad expenditures on Google, the top spender between 2018 and 2023 was the Biden for President group, investing more than 85.2 million dollars in the measured period.

Political ads are flush with cash, but struggle to win voter trust

The American political advertising scene shows no sign of slowing down, with ad spending for the 2024 election cycle projected to surpass its predecessors. Despite the surge in investments, voter attention to ads remained aloof during the 2022 midterms, with 75 percent of eligible voters saying they tend to tune out or ignore political ads. In addition to that, around 60 percent of voters considered political advertising unethical, while nearly 65 percent believed consumer data should never reach the hands of political advertisers.