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How much did that political ad cost? It depends on who's paying for it.

Sep 21, 2023
As competition for ad space heats up, price rules help candidates but force outside groups to pay big.
Regulations governing political ad spending make it cheaper for campaigns to air TV ads and more costly for outside organizations.
Getty Images

Political advertisers worry about reaching sports fans streaming their games

Jun 15, 2023
With streaming services cutting into more live TV audiences, including sports, advertisers are changing their 2024 campaign strategies.
With streaming services increasingly airing live sports, political advertisers are changing their 2024 campaign strategies. Yet some platforms, like Apple TV+, don’t take political ads.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Texas redistricting changes how congressional candidates allocate money

Oct 26, 2022
Some congressional candidates are doubling down on campaign spending to win over new districts.
"We’re running a full campaign like we did the very first time," says Vicente Gonzalez, who campaigned at an event in Harlingen, Texas, above. "We’ve knocked on over 145,000 doors.”
Nancy Marshall Genzer/Marketplace

Will millions spent on ads sway voters in Georgia runoffs?

Jan 4, 2021
Political ads have been relentless on Georgia airwaves leading up to the Jan. 5 Senate elections.
Family and supporters hold runoff signs as Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock speaks during an Election Night event on Nov. 3 in Atlanta.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Small radio stations in Georgia benefit from big spending on U.S. Senate races

Dec 31, 2020
From classic rock to gospel, even music stations are seeing a bump in ad revenue from the Senate runoffs.
A supporter holds a sign during a campaign rally for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff on Dec. 3, 2020 in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Google lifts political ads ban, with Georgia Senate races still in play

Dec 10, 2020
How important is political ad revenue to companies like Google and Facebook?
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Facebook is going to let users turn off political ads

The move comes as civil rights groups call for major advertisers to boycott Facebook, and the Trump administration reportedly proposes legislation on social media platforms.
Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, personally, have come under criticism from all sides of the political spectrum when it comes to policing content.
Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images

Social media limits on political ads hurt smaller campaigns

Mar 11, 2020
Google's new policies mean campaigns need to spend more to get their messages out.
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Money in politics helps, but it's not everything

Mar 5, 2020
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the presidential race after spending a record half a billion dollars.
Mike Bloomberg suspended his presidential campaign Wednesday.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images