Waiting until the final weeks to run radio ads may be costing political campaigns real influence. New research from Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial primary ties sustained AM/FM advertising to stronger voter recall and support months before the ballots were counted.
The analysis from Katz Radio Group, drawing on Media Monitors data, found that Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson began running radio ads in February, more than two months before the state’s May 19 primary and before official political advertising windows even opened.
To measure the impact, Katz surveyed 400 Georgia primary voters in July, after the primary and its runoff had concluded. Nearly eight in ten respondents, 78.3%, said Jackson’s radio advertising helped them learn about his campaign, and 42.5% said it helped “a great deal.”
Katz also found a link between recall and support. A voter segment representing 20.3% of respondents remembered the ads, said they helped a great deal, and ultimately voted for Jackson, a combination that occurred 1.64 times more often than would be expected by chance. Katz describes this as evidence of a meaningful relationship between ad recall, campaign learning, and vote choice, short of claiming the ads alone decided the race.
Jackson went on to win the Republican runoff on June 16, defeating Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, and will face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in the November general election.
The Georgia findings fit a broader pattern. Edison Research Share of Ear data released in July found registered voters spend 53% of their daily audio time with ad-supported media, with AM/FM radio alone capturing 34% of all audio time, more than any other platform measured. An Audacy and YouGov survey released in August found AM/FM listeners register as likely voters at an 86% rate, and that commuters stuck in traffic, a captive radio audience, are angrier about the economy and more likely to vote than the average respondent.
