As Michigan prepares for its 2026 midterm elections, projections indicate a staggering surge in campaign advertising expenditures. According to AdImpact, a leading advertising analysis firm, Michigan’s political campaigns are poised to spend over $900 million, positioning the state as the second-most expensive for political advertising, trailing only behind California.
In a recent report, AdImpact highlights Michigan’s highly competitive gubernatorial, Senate, and legislative races as primary drivers of this spending increase. This trend is reflective of a broader national pattern, with the 2026 midterm elections projected to break records as the most expensive in U.S. history, surpassing the $8.9 billion expended during the 2022 midterms.
The upcoming retirement of Democratic U.S. Senator Gary Peters has left his Senate seat open, contributing to increased spending predictions. Neil Thanedar, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, suggests that the Senate race could attract the highest total spending, including substantial contributions from political action committees (PACs).
Classified as one of five “toss-up” gubernatorial races by the Cook Political Ratings, Michigan’s gubernatorial campaign is projected to lead the nation in spending at $152 million. Collectively, these five states are anticipated to account for one-third of the total gubernatorial campaign expenditures.
State legislative campaigns in Michigan are also expected to witness significant spending, with projections exceeding $50 million, ranking second-highest at $56.9 million. Thanedar anticipates that millions will be spent opposing the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics ballot proposal, which aims to restrict political contributions from major contractors.
“Those major contractors … control some of the largest PACs in the state, and so I think they would spend in order to protect their ability to continue to spend in the future,” Thanedar said. “That’s a key existential issue for them.”
Additionally, Thanedar foresees substantial advertising investments in the Ranked Choice voting proposal and the Michigan Prohibit Property Taxes Amendment, given their contentious nature.
Despite the bulk of spending typically occurring between primary and general elections, Thanedar notes an unusual uptick in early campaign advertisements. “The fact that there’s outside spending happening already in congressional races in 2025 for 2026 races is unusual,” he remarked. “These things are happening earlier and earlier.”
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