Michigan midterm campaigns projected to be second-most expensive in country

Michigan political campaigns could spend more than $900 million on advertising during the 2026 midterm cycle, according to the advertising analysis firm AdImpact. That would make Michigan the second-most expensive state in the country after California.by AdImpact finds.

In a recent report, the company said that's because of Michigan's competitive gubernatorial and Senate races as well as state legislative races in districts that are considered toss-ups, and a number of strongly contested downballot races. It’s also part of a larger national picture: The 2026 midterm is expected to be the most expensive in U.S. history, according to AdImpact, easily surpassing the $8.9 billion spent for the 2022 midterm.

Democratic U.S. Senator Gary Peters is retiring, leaving his seat open in the midterms. Neil Thanedar, the executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, said the Michigan Senate race might see the most total spending, including all political action committee, or PAC, spending.

One of five “toss-up” gubernatorial races in 2026, as classified by the Cook Political Ratings, Michigan’s gubernatorial spending is projected to rank highest among U.S. states at $152 million. Combined, the five toss-up states are expected to accumulate one-third of all gubernatorial campaign spending, according to AdImpact.


https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2025-09-07/michigan-midterm-campaigns-projected-to-be-second-most-expensive-in-country