|
This election cycle is bigger, more fragmented, and more localized than ever before. As political campaigns compete for attention across thousands of federal, state, and local races, streaming TV has become a critical channel for expanding reach, improving targeting, and driving more effective campaign outcomes.
AdImpact forecasts a record $11.6 billion in political advertising spend for the 2026 midterms, making it the most expensive midterm cycle in U.S. history. Voters will decide races ranging from Congress and governorships to state legislatures, creating a complex media environment that demands precision, flexibility, and accountability.
Connected TV (CTV) has become a priority for political advertisers navigating an increasingly fragmented media environment. With 89% of U.S. households projected to be CTV households this year, according to eMarketer, campaigns are embracing streaming TV for its combination of premium content, audience precision, and measurable performance.*
At the same time, political campaigns aren't choosing between linear and streaming—they're using both to connect with today's fragmented electorate. Broadcast TV continues to play an important role, while streaming enables campaigns to reach audiences wherever they consume content with greater precision and accountability. Reflecting that shift, AdImpact projects CTV will reach $2.7 billion in political ad spend during the 2026 cycle—23% of all campaign spending—cementing its role as a core component of the political media mix.
As campaigns prepare for a crowded and competitive election cycle, here are four considerations shaping political media strategies in 2026.
Prioritize Trusted Environments and Premium Content
Trust has become one of the most valuable assets in political advertising. As concerns grow around misinformation, AI-generated content, and increasingly fragmented digital platforms, campaigns are paying closer attention to the environments where their messages appear.
Premium streaming content offers transparency, brand safety, and greater control over ad placement. Local news is particularly valuable in this environment. It remains one of the most trusted sources of information for voters, and audiences are increasingly accessing that content through streaming platforms. In fact, more than half of consumers access local news through local TV websites, streaming services, or dedicated news apps, according to a TVB/GfK-NIQ study.
These viewers are highly engaged, community-focused, and actively following the issues shaping their daily lives. For political advertisers, local news streaming environments offer a powerful way to reach audiences in credible, high-attention settings while ensuring campaign messaging appears alongside premium, professionally produced content.
Beyond local news, live sports continue to provide valuable opportunities for political advertisers. As one of the few content categories that consistently attracts large audiences in real time, live sports offers campaigns access to highly engaged viewers in premium, brand-safe environments. Together, local news and live sports give advertisers access to trusted content that commands attention and drives meaningful audience engagement.
Reach the Right Voters with Precision
Modern political campaigns are no longer targeting broad audiences. They are targeting specific voters. Today's campaigns routinely combine voter files, donor lists, supporter databases, issue-affinity audiences, and third-party data to build highly customized voter segments. CTV enables campaigns to activate these audiences with a level of precision that traditional television alone cannot deliver.
Increasingly, campaigns are using audience intelligence to improve media efficiency. By leveraging ACR data, advertisers can identify households that watched debates and election coverage on broadcast TV and reconnect with those viewers on streaming. This approach helps reinforce messaging with politically engaged audiences, manage frequency across screens, and create additional touchpoints as voters move from linear TV to streaming.
In a compressed election calendar where inventory tightens and campaign priorities can shift rapidly, the ability to quickly onboard and activate first-party data has become a significant competitive advantage.
Secure Access to Premium Reach at Scale
As political spending intensifies, inventory availability and pricing can shift quickly across key markets. Advertisers should prioritize partners that offer broad access to premium streaming inventory and the flexibility to adapt as campaign priorities evolve.
Many agencies are taking a diversified approach that combines programmatic buying with managed-service partnerships. Providers with extensive direct relationships across premium publishers, broadcasters, and streaming platforms can help simplify campaign execution while delivering consistent reach across markets and devices.
In a crowded election cycle, scale, flexibility, and quality matter. Advertisers need access to trusted content environments, broad audience reach, and the ability to adjust campaigns quickly as spending levels, market conditions, and race dynamics change. The right partnerships can help campaigns maintain efficiency and performance throughout the cycle.
Demand Actionable Measurement, Not Just Reporting
Political campaigns operate on compressed timelines. Media buyers need visibility into performance while campaigns are live—not weeks after Election Day. That means understanding how impressions are being delivered, where voters are engaging, and whether media investments are reaching intended audiences.
Real-time insights into reach, frequency, geography, creative performance, and video completion rates can help campaigns optimize spending, refine messaging, and respond quickly as conditions change.
For campaigns, PACs, and advocacy organizations with longer-term objectives, measurement is extending beyond media delivery. Website visitation, audience engagement, voter file matchback analysis, and donor attribution can provide a more complete view of campaign effectiveness and return on investment.
The ability to turn campaign data into actionable intelligence has become increasingly important in modern political advertising. The campaigns that can quickly evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and make informed adjustments are better positioned to maximize the impact of every media dollar.
The 2026 midterms are expected to be the most expensive election cycle of their kind in U.S. history. As campaigns compete across thousands of races and increasingly fragmented audiences, the ability to combine trusted content, sophisticated audience strategies, scalable reach, and actionable measurement will become even more important.
In this environment, the strongest political media strategies will take a Total TV approach—combining the broad reach of linear with the precision and accountability of streaming. Campaigns that effectively connect those capabilities will be best positioned to engage voters and maximize the impact of every media dollar.
For more insights, download our 2026 Political Marketing Total TV Playbook
|
