Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for free
The stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White House
The 2024 US presidential general election is under way: presumptive Democratic candidate vice-president Kamala Harris versus Republican former president Donald Trump. They and their allies are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertisements — on television, radio and digital platforms — in a bid to convince voters ahead of the November 5 election.
This page will monitor their ad battle in real time, using data from tracking firm AdImpact. The Financial Times is charting and mapping exactly how much is being spent, where and when. This analysis will provide a empirical lens on a contested campaign — the charts below update a few times each day.
The Harris-Trump contest was set during a politically tumultuous summer. Following a disastrous debate performance against Trump, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. He left behind tens of millions of dollars in booked future advertisements; what exactly will happen to them is unclear.
The data below still includes Biden-labelled ad purchases, but will be updated with the latest available information.
Spending can come from the campaigns themselves or from aligned committees such as “super Pacs” or “joint fundraising committees”. We track all of them here. These are their total general election ad expenditures to date.
Given the structure of the Electoral College, which ultimately elects the president, campaigns are waged especially fiercely in certain “swing states”, where just a relatively small percentage of undecided voters can decide the outcome of the entire race. In 2024, those battleground states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Every campaign ebbs and flows over time, as candidates’ plans unfold or they react to events. This is how the ad spending of Biden and Trump has evolved, and what they’ve already booked in future ads. The charts below show when they bought their ads — and when those ads are running.
The data above is refreshed from AdImpact every six hours, every day starting at midnight Eastern time.
Martin Stabe, Oliver Hawkins and Eade Hemingway contributed research
Have your say
Joe Biden vs Donald Trump: tell us how the 2024 US election will affect you
