Democratic Senate group booking $239M in ads

A group that works to help elect Democrats to the Senate booked $239 million in television ads to defend seven seats that Republicans will seek to flip this fall. 

Senate Majority PAC announced the ad buy in a release on Monday, saying the organization will supplement the reservations along with digital ad investments focused on Latino, Black and young voters. 

The Washington Post first reported the reservation. 

“In 2024, a woman’s access to abortion, health care coverage for pre-existing conditions, and the preservation and strengthening of Medicare and Social Security are all on the ballot. That’s why we’re placing the largest ad reservations in Senate history, to remind voters exactly what’s at stake this election,” said J.B. Poersch, the organization’s president, in a statement. 

The reservations come as Democrats prepare to defend their narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate with a map that gives Republicans many more opportunities to pick up seats. The GOP is likely to add a seat in West Virginia, with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin not running for reelection. 

The largest portion of the reservation is $65 million reserved for Ohio, where Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is running for another term. The second-largest amount, $45 million, is earmarked for Montana as Sen. Jon Tester (D) also tries to hold his seat. 

Both states are conservative-leaning and will likely vote for former President Trump in November, so Brown and Tester may face the biggest challenge of any Democratic incumbent. 

The other reservations are $42 million for Pennsylvania, $36 million for Nevada, $23 million for Arizona and $14 million each for Michigan and Wisconsin. 

“This massive television and digital investment will allow us to reach voters where they are and hold Republicans accountable on our way to holding the Senate,” Poersch said. 

The Post reported that the organization’s leaders said their spending will likely increase beyond those reservations, potentially including ads in Florida and Texas. Democrats hope to target Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as their best chances to pick up seats in the fall.