Predicting the future is hard, but what the airwaves may sound like later this year in terms of political ad spending is as close as it gets for broadcasters. AdImpact, which looks at where candidates have already reserved ad time, says 14 hopefuls have placed reservations after Labor Day of at least $1 million. And as of Tuesday (May 21), it says $208 million future Presidential ad reservations have been booked.
AdImpact says Democratic advertisers currently hold a $137.5 million advantage in future Presidential ad reservations over Republicans. The political ad tracking firm says GOP advertisers currently have $1.7 million in future reservations, with their latest reservation ending on May 28. In comparison, Democratic advertisers have $139.2 million booked through Election Day.
The pro-Biden group Future Forward accounts for nearly all that spending. AdImpact says it has reserved $134.5 million of broadcast and cable ad time in the fall. Where its dollars are going closely aligns with the battleground states. Ads have been tracked in Pennsylvania ($36.3 million), Michigan ($26 million), Arizona ($21.5 million), Georgia ($19.8 million), Wisconsin ($16.7 million), Nevada ($5.6 million) and North Carolina ($5 million). The PAC has also booked $3.7 million in the Omaha, NE market as Biden looks to win Nebraska’s second congressional district for an electoral college advantage. AdImpact says if Future Forward’s current reservations hold, the group will exceed the $118.2 million it spent in 2020 supporting the incumbent.
