Blockbuster Georgia Senate spending ramps up

The general election is less than three months away, which means Georgians (and Americans) are about to be bombarded with record-smashing spending on political ads.

Why it matters: Independent spenders have dropped more money on Georgia's general election contest to date than any other this cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Driving the news: Democrats' leading Senate super PAC, Senate Majority PAC, just started spending millions in Georgia.

• An SMP-affiliated group, Georgia Honor, reported spending more than $3 million this month on ads attacking Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker.
• The group has reserved more than $33 million in Georgia airtime this fall.

The other side: The major Republican Senate PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, has reserved $37.1 million.

The big picture: Advertising intelligence firm AdImpact projects the 2022 cycle will see nearly $9.7 billion in political advertising.

• That's more than double the previous midterm record, which was set in 2018. It's also more than was spent during a 2020 election cycle that featured a hotly contested presidential race.