$15 Million: Out-of-state Ads Dominate Four Key Senate Races

Candidates in four competitive U.S. Senate races have spent more than $15 million on digital advertising designed to solicit donations from voters outside their home states, according to an analysis of Google Ads data. The spending occurred during the 2025-26 election cycle in Iowa, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. Approximately 75% of that total was directed at national audiences rather than residents of the specific states where the candidates are running.

The advertising strategy differs sharply from local broadcast campaigns. In state-level television spots, candidates typically avoid party labels to appeal to moderates. However, in digital ads running nationally, candidates frequently emphasize their party affiliation. Former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown urges viewers to turn his state blue, while Georgia Representative Mike Collins asks supporters to turn his seat red. Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson highlights her America First credentials, and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff directly attacks President Trump.

For some candidates, the reliance on external money is profound. More than 80% of itemized individual contributions for Ossoff and Iowa Democratic nominee Josh Turek came from out of state. Zachary Albert, a politics professor at Brandeis University, notes that platforms like ActBlue and WinRed have lowered the cost of soliciting small donations. He explains that even a $5 or $10 contribution is profitable because the transaction costs are now significantly lower than in previous decades.

Michael Franz of the Wesleyan Media Project observes that this shift changes how candidates communicate. In a statement, the Ossoff campaign said it is powered by small-dollar donors and does not target audiences by location. Other campaigns did not respond to interview requests. Franz argues that the party label becomes more important in out-of-state digital ads because the goal is to energize the party base rather than persuade swing voters.

Political science experts describe a new era of campaigning where candidates must appeal to two distinct groups: local voters for votes and national donors for money. Daniel Hopkins, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says candidates like Ossoff compete for votes against local opponents but compete for dollars against other prominent candidates nationwide. This dynamic encourages candidates to adopt national talking points over local issues.

The trend is not limited to one party. Democrats built their digital fundraising infrastructure earlier, launching ActBlue in 2004, nearly 15 years before Republicans launched WinRed in 2019. However, Republicans have accelerated their use of out-of-state funds, particularly during the Trump era. Sarah Bryner of Public Agenda notes that donors in solidly blue or red states often send money to competitive races to influence the outcome.

Regulatory efforts remain limited. Hawaii will cap out-of-state donations starting in 2027, but national regulation is difficult due to Supreme Court rulings on campaign spending. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of coordinated campaign spending, allowing for increased out-of-state expenditures. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already spent three times as much on advertisements as it did in the previous midterms.