Political ads have pushed the 2025 to 2026 election cycle to a record $11.21 billion in spending and reservations, according to AdImpact, and the final burst lands this week before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. Most of that money goes to local TV, but connected TV and digital channels are taking a growing slice. This guide breaks down where the money is going, the Google rules that decide which election ads can run on your pages and six smart moves for publishers in the last days of the cycle and after it.
Spending figures are AdImpact's, as reported by CNBC and TheWrap, and we attribute them that way. Policy details come from Google's Advertising Policies Help, AdSense Help and Ad Manager Help. This article is nonpartisan and does not cover any candidate or race.
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How Big Is the Political Ads Market?
Bigger than ever, even without a presidential race. TheWrap reported on October 27 that spending and reservations for the cycle had reached $11.21 billion, narrowly beating the $11.20 billion recorded in the 2023 to 2024 cycle. The figures are not adjusted for inflation, and the tally includes future reservations, not only ads that have already aired.
The jump over the last midterm is sharper. AdImpact counted $8.9 billion in the 2022 cycle. In June, it projected that the full 2025 to 2026 cycle would reach $11.6 billion, which CNBC noted would be 30% higher than the last midterm election. The money also arrived early: AdImpact estimated $4 billion had been spent through June 1, a 46% increase over the same point in the 2024 cycle.
Where the Money Goes
Broadcast TV is still the main winner. In its June forecast, as TheWrap reported, AdImpact projected $5.6 billion, or 48% of the cycle, for broadcast, followed by connected TV at $2.7 billion, or 23%, and digital at $1.6 billion. CNBC's June report listed cable at $1.4 billion. CNBC described the digital money as spending across platforms like Facebook, Google, Snapchat and X.
The aired numbers tell the same story. Of the $3 billion in political advertising that aired in the third quarter, broadcast took 51%, connected TV 23% and digital 15%, according to AdImpact's quarterly report as cited by TheWrap.
The contrast with the wider market is striking. In an October 21 CNBC report, broadcasters were expected to take roughly half of political spending, yet they account for just 7.7% of the more than $470 billion in total US ad spend forecast for this year, citing Magna data published by S&P Global. Political buyers behave very differently from everyday advertisers.
Why Timing Matters
Political money is heavily back loaded. AdImpact's report, as cited by CNBC, says the August to November stretch accounts for between 58% and 67% of all political ad spending in a cycle, with October alone accounting for between 28% and 36%.
That window closes on Election Day. Under federal law, House elections are held on "The Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November, in every even numbered year," which this year is November 3. TheWrap put the downside plainly for local stations: "But the windfall is temporary." Once political ads stop, publishers that sold into the surge go back to relying on regular advertisers, so plan your November and December pacing now. Our Q4 ad revenue plan covers the holiday side of that calendar.
Google's Election Ads Rules
If you sell through Google, its political content policy sets the rules for buyers. In the United States, "Advertisers may run US Election Ads in the United States only if the advertiser completes US Election Ads verification."
Google defines US Election Ads as ads that feature a current officeholder or candidate for federal, state or territory level office, a federal, state or territory level political party, or a state or territory ballot measure that has qualified for the ballot. Election ads are also subject to disclosure requirements and targeting restrictions. For publishers, that means the election ads Google serves on your pages come from verified advertisers, but the policy is not a filter you control.
How to Allow or Block Political Categories
Your control sits in the sensitive category settings. AdSense and Google Ad Manager both list a Politics category that "Includes ads for political campaigns or candidates, ads addressing controversial social issues, ads referencing well-known politicians, and ads touching on events widely perceived to be political in nature, such as elections, protests, terrorist attacks, wars and conflicts."
In AdSense, Politics is a standard sensitive category, and AdSense Help says standard categories "are allowed by default." You can block it for one site or all sites under Brand safety, then Blocking controls, then Manage sensitive categories. Google also warns that its system makes "its best attempt to filter ads from the possible categories; however, we don't guarantee that it will block every related ad."
Blocking is a trade off. The category is broad, so turning it off removes candidate ads and also issue ads and ads tied to news events. If your audience is sensitive to political messaging, block it. If you run news or local content, the extra demand in the final week may be worth keeping.
What CTV and Digital Publishers Should Watch
Connected TV is the fastest growing category of political ad spend, according to AdImpact. Erik Brydges, head of performance and political demand at Magnite, told CNBC that the complexity of CTV and free ad supported streaming has held some buyers back: "a campaign or a consultant might not understand what those are."
Buyers are learning. SKDK's Pia Carusone told CNBC: "Increasingly, now with the streaming and CTV platforms, they're able to really offer a lot more nuance in their targeting." She also stressed balance: "You can't just do digital. You can't just do linear." For more on selling streaming inventory, read our guide to CTV advertising for publishers.
6 Smart Moves for Publishers
1. Decide your political ads policy today
Before Election Day, choose whether you want political demand on your pages, and apply the same rule across AdSense, Ad Manager and any direct deals.
2. Check the Politics category setting
It is allowed by default in AdSense. If you have never looked at it, confirm the setting matches your policy for each site.
3. Remember the block is broad
Blocking Politics also removes ads about social issues and news events like protests and conflicts, not just candidate ads.
4. Ask direct buyers for verification
Google requires verification for US election ads it serves. Apply a similar check to anyone buying political placements from you directly.
5. Plan for the drop after November 3
Political demand ends with the election, so line up holiday campaigns and floor reviews for the rest of the quarter. Our breakdown of seasonal RPM trends shows how the calendar shapes earnings.
6. Log what sold for the next cycle
Note which formats, pages and regions drew political ads this year. With CTV still gaining share, video inventory is worth tracking closely.
Political ads are a short, intense revenue window, and most of the money will never touch a website. But the slice that does flows through settings many publishers have never opened. Make the decision on purpose this week, then turn your attention to the holiday season.