US midterms countdown: Record ad spending, costliest Senate races and top battlegrounds

The US Midterm 2026 countdown has began and the political advertising spending for the midterm election cycle this year has reached a record high, surpassing $10 billion as of last week. The media tracking group AdImpact has projected to reach $11.6 billion by Election Day. The previous midterm spending record was set in 2022 at $8.9 billion, and the 2024 presidential cycle saw some $11.2 billion spent on ads.

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Texas Senate race: $500 million

Texas is one of the most closely watched Senate races. October polling shows that James Talarico has the chance to become the state’s first Democratic Senator since 1993. A win in the state would deal a critical blow to Republicans’ grip on the upper chamber of Congress. He’s at 51 per cent against Republican Ken Paxton according to CBS/YouGov polling from Oct. 8-16. Combined ad spending and airtime reservations have surpassed $500 million, according to AdImpact.

The Ohio Senate race in 2024 reached $542.7 million. Republicans have spent nearly $270 million to support Jon Husted, while Democrats have spent over $180 million in support of Sherrod Brown.

Also Read: US midterms 2026: What polls and prediction markets indicate about Congress

Key Battlegrounds: Key Senate races

• Texas: Democrat James Talarico is challenging the incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, turning this into a highly visible, expensive battleground.
• Ohio (Special Election): Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is running against the appointed incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, who took office after JD Vance vacated the seat to become Vice President.
• North Carolina: Democratic former Governor Roy Cooper is facing off against Republican candidate Michael Whatley for the seat left vacant by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
• Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek is challenging incumbent Republican Ashley Hinson in a state that has tightly compressed into a margin-of-error race.
• Michigan: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces former Republican Representative Mike Rogers for the open seat vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
• Maine: Democratic challenger Troy Jackson is locked in a competitive race against longtime incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
• Georgia: Incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff is defending his seat against a challenge from Republican Representative Mike Collins.
• Alaska: Democrat Mary Peltola is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
• Kansas: Democrat Adam Hamilton is running against incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall.
• New Hampshire: Democrat Chris Pappas is running against Republican challenger John Sununu for the seat opened by retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Key Battlegrounds: Key House races

• Pennsylvania's 10th District: In one of the country's most heavily watched frontline House races, former news anchor Janelle Stelson (D) is challenging the deeply conservative incumbent Representative Scott Perry (R)
• Colorado's 8th District: Republican incumbent Gabe Evans is defending this highly competitive northern Denver suburban seat against Democratic State Representative Manny Rutinel.
• Florida's 22nd District: In a heavily redrawn toss-up district, Republican Marine veteran Casey Askar faces Democratic educator Pia Dandiya for an open seat previously won by Donald Trump in 2024.
• Iowa's 1st District: Incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is locked in a fierce rematch against Democrat Christina Bohannan in a race heavily impacted by severe economic anxiety in farm country.
• Iowa's 3rd District: Incumbent Republican Zach Nunn is defending a tight seat against Democratic challenger Sarah Trone Garriott.
• Montana's 1st District: In a deep-red seat that unexpectedly shifted to a toss-up, Republican Aaron Flint is facing populist Democratic union leader Sam Forstag.
• Nebraska's 2nd District: Republican Brinker Harding is fighting to hold this Omaha-based swing seat against Democratic challenger Denise Powell.
• New York's 17th District: Moderate Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is walking a bipartisan line to defend his seat against Democratic challenger Cait Conley.
• North Carolina's 1st District: Incumbent Democrat Don Davis is fighting a tough defensive battle against Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout following state redistricting changes.
• Washington's 3rd District: Incumbent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is fighting for survival against Republican John Braun in a split-ticket district that voted for Trump at the presidential level.