Iowa leads nation in Senate ad spending surge
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If you feel like you're being inundated with TV ads, you're not imagining things — Iowa is one of the top states in the country for political spending on the U.S. Senate race.
Why it matters: In the final push, ad spending has shifted from bluer to redder states as they appear increasingly competitive, according to the nonpartisan Wesleyan Media Project.
The big picture: The Cook Political Report shifted Iowa's gubernatorial and Senate races left over the summer, and three of the four U.S. House races moved left this month.
Driving the news: Iowa's U.S. Senate race saw the biggest jump in ad spending nationwide between Sept. 28–Oct. 11 and Oct. 12-25, per Wesleyan.
- Spending rose from $41.82 million to $64.59 million over that period, a $22.77 million increase.
By the numbers: Iowa ranked fourth nationally in Senate ad spending from Oct. 12–25, at $64.59 million, behind Ohio, Texas and Michigan.
- That's approximately $4.6 million per day.
- Nearly 59% of the Iowa spending favored Democrats, compared with 41% favoring Republicans.
- Outside groups were responsible for roughly three-quarters of the spending, per Wesleyan.
What they're saying: "Following the money suggests that the Senate battleground has been changing over these past two weeks, moving away from bluer states like Georgia and North Carolina and into redder territory," Travis Ridout, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, said in the report.
The latest: President Trump said his canceled events in Iowa and Kansas are back on this Sunday as he heads to "reliably red" states to try to motivate his base.
The bottom line: It will all finally be over Tuesday (unless you're a Tulsi Gabbard billboard).