With just over a month to go until the Presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are both seeing a wave of cash, but one party is pulling ahead – and it could be better news for radio, as far as potential ad spend is concerned.
Despite Trump’s earlier fundraising gains over the summer, Harris has eliminated his financial edge, per FEC filings. In August, she raised nearly $190 million directly for her campaign—over four times Trump’s $44.5 million for the same period. Harris’ campaign invested approximately $174 million last month, allocating $135 million to advertising efforts to introduce her to voters nationwide.
In contrast, Trump’s campaign spent $61 million, with over $47 million dedicated to media buys.
This comes as the Harris-Walz campaign invests $3 million in Spanish-language radio ads targeting Latino voters in key battleground states during Hispanic Heritage Month. These ads will align with existing bilingual television spots, phone banking, and educational outreach efforts to emphasize the election’s importance to Hispanic communities.
Candidate super PACs are also turning massive fundraising efforts into equally large ad campaigns.
MAGA Inc., a prominent pro-Trump super PAC, reported spending more than $88 million in August, primarily funding a multiplatform advertising campaign. The majority of spend twisted toward television. On the Democratic side, FF PAC, a leading pro-Harris super PAC, raised nearly $37 million in August. The super PAC spent over $77 million last month, including nearly $62 million on independent expenditures supporting Harris’ campaign.
While a small percentage of political revenue is directed to AM/FM, radio has more opportunity to benefit from down-ballot races, which are also heating up.
Senate-focused party committees reported similar fundraising figures for August. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised $19.1 million, closely matched by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s (DSCC) $19.2 million. Both parties are gearing up for intense battles as Democrats defend their slim majority in the Senate.
Both parties would be wise to invest more in radio. A recent study by Katz Radio Group shows that Harris’s political radio ads are well-received in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
