Senate Democrats and allies have plans for over $300 million in fall ad reservations

Senate Democrats are planning to reserve $79 million in fall airtime for key battleground races, which, paired with plans by a top Democratic super PAC to spend hundreds of millions more, would give Democrats more than $300 million in fall reservations as they fight to defend their Senate majority.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Tuesday announced plans for the campaign — which will include spending on TV, radio and digital advertisements — saying its largest investments will target key races in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, with additional spending targeting contests in Montana, Ohio, Nevada, Arizona and even some in Florida and Texas, where Democrats face steeper odds.

Detailing the plans, the committee said its spending represented “more than double the size of the party’s initial spending plan last cycle,” and noted the advertising “will cover periods not included in Senate Majority PAC’s reservations.”

Senate Majority PAC, the top Democratic super PAC targeting Senate races, had announced plans last month to spend $239 million on a massive fall advertising campaign, targeting a similar suite of races.

SMP said it would spend more than $60 million defending Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and more than $40 million on Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey’s reelection, devoting over $100 million to that pair of critical races. The group also said it would direct eight-figure sums to supporting Democrats in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona.

In addition, SMP had also pledged to spend $45 million on ads supporting Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who is among the most vulnerable Senate Democrats this year, and $36 million in Nevada, where Sen. Jacky Rosen also faces a tough reelection fight.

All told, the combined reservations amount to $318 million, a massive reservation of fall airtime that could provide a serious boost to Democrats as they compete across a difficult map and fight to preserve their Senate majority.

While future advertising reservations can be fluid, those totals would be an increase from those key groups’ spending in 2022, when the DSCC spent about $50 million on advertising and SMP spent about $240 million, according to AdImpact data.

Countering those efforts, Senate Republicans have also pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars on some of the same key races, with plans for at least $130 million in fall ad time so far.

Senate Leadership Fund, a top GOP super PAC aligned with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, said it has plans to spend $57.7 million in Ohio and $24.6 million in Montana – two races where Republicans feel best about their pickup chances, with Democratic incumbents seeking reelection in states former President Donald Trump carried in 2020. Additionally, an allied GOP group, American Crossroads, says it will spend $25 million more in Ohio, and an additional $23.3 million in Montana.