Spending on the 2026 US midterm elections is projected to reach a record $11.93 billion ahead of voting scheduled for November 3 in the United States, according to OpenSecrets, a watchdog that tracks political spending. The projected total would make this the most expensive midterm election cycle in American history, around 30 percent higher than spending in the previous midterms.
Projected spending reaches a new high
The estimate signals a substantial increase in the money expected to be spent on this year’s midterm elections. OpenSecrets’ projection puts the total at $11.93 billion, setting a new record for a US midterm cycle. The watchdog’s figures are projections, rather than a final accounting of election spending.
The expected amount is approximately 30 percent above the total recorded for the previous midterms. That comparison places the latest estimate not only above the prior cycle, but at a new high in the history of American midterm elections. The figures available do not provide a breakdown of how the total is distributed among individual races or other spending categories.
Democrats projected to spend more than Republicans
OpenSecrets projects that the Democratic Party will spend $5.52 billion, compared with $5.12 billion for the Republican Party. The Democratic projection is therefore $400 million higher than the Republican estimate.
Together, the two party projections account for $10.64 billion of the $11.93 billion overall estimate. The figures identify the expected spending of each party, but do not specify in the available information what accounts for the remaining portion of the projected total.
The partisan figures underline the scale of spending expected from both sides as the election approaches. They remain estimates and should not be read as final totals: the stated figures describe projected expenditure for the election cycle, while the vote itself is scheduled for November 3.
Election scheduled for November 3
The midterm elections will take place across the United States on November 3. OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending, is the source of the spending projection and party estimates. Its figures point to a record-setting cycle, with the overall amount expected to exceed the previous midterm total by about 30 percent.
The $11.93 billion estimate and the party projections offer a broad picture of the expected scale of spending, but the available information does not detail how funds will be allocated across candidates, contests or other forms of political activity. The total may therefore be understood as an overall projection rather than a race-by-race accounting.
With the election date set, the key figures in the projection are the record overall estimate, the expected $5.52 billion in Democratic spending and the $5.12 billion projected for Republicans. OpenSecrets’ estimate makes this year’s midterms the most expensive on record, subject to final spending figures after the election.
