House Democratic campaign arm announces $28 million in initial ad reservations for fall

House Democrats’ campaign arm revealed $28 million in initial ad bookings Tuesday For the November elections, prioritize states with competitive districts – including Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina – where the most prestigious races are expected to compete for air time over the last few months.

The spending plan, first shared Tuesday with The Washington Post, includes $16 million in TV ad reservations in eight states, many of which are expected to host a competitive Senate. and presidential elections. The plan also includes $12 million in digital advertising reservations across a broader group of 21 states, double the initial investment the committee said it made in digital advertising during the last election cycle.

The Democrats are a few seats from the majority, and the battleground is narrower than usual after the latest round of redistricting. Democrats hold 213 seats in the House to Republicans’ 218, with four seats vacant.

Much of the battle is expected to be in California and New York, home to most of the Republican districts that Joe Biden won in 2020. But they are in reliably blue states that are unlikely to be competitive at scale. of State. the top of the ticket. Although the DCCC included them in its digital spending, the committee emphasized that its initial broadcast reservations were tailored to states with competitive races at the top of the standings.

The committee said it is investing early in advertising on streaming platforms such as Hulu, a strategy that “aligns with the new realities of how and where voters consume information.”

“This approach ensures we are equipped to effectively elevate the threat of Republican extremism and reach the voters who will decide the battle for the People’s House,” Julie Merz, executive director of the DCCC, said in a statement.

The DCCC’s Republican counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, has not yet announced its first advertising reserves. The DCCC built a larger war chest this election cycle, ending April with $75.9 million in cash, compared to the NRC’s $55.9 million.

Arizona leads the way with $2.8 million in broadcast reservations in the Phoenix and Tucson markets, likely to target Republican Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani. Michigan follows closely with $2.7 million in ad airtime in the Detroit and Lansing markets, which cover the battleground district that Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) is leaving to run for Senate. And $2.5 million will go to the Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio, markets, where Democrats are defending Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Emilia Strong Sykes.

The other broadcast reservations cover familiar ground in recent majority fights in the House. For example, the committee is investing $1.8 million in three Maine media markets, ostensibly to defend Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who represents a district won by Donald Trump in 2020. And $1.1 million is planned for Omaha , where Democrats are targeting the GOP representative. . Don Bacon in a district Biden won in 2020.

Such reservations are initial and may change as elections approach and strategists reassess the battlefield.

The DCCC did not identify specific markets for the digital ad reservations, but said they would be made in a list of 21 states that “represent the majority of the House battleground and target key constituencies including Hispanic, African American and AAPI voters.” The 21 states include the eight in which the DCCC also makes broadcast reservations.

Other states with numerical reserves include Texas, where Democrats are defending Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in the predominantly Hispanic Rio Grande Valley. They also hope to unseat neighboring Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

The major super PACs focused on House races — the Democratic House Majority PAC and the GOP’s Congressional Leadership Fund — have already announced nine-figure advertising plans for the fall, with significant broadcast bookings in California and New York. Unlike candidates and party committees, they can raise unlimited amounts of money and are usually the first to get reservations for the fall.