Pennsylvania is 2020's top battleground state, based on Democratic and Republican ad spending


Florida is so 2016.
Democrats have cut their TV ad spending in the typical battleground state by nearly $10 million this election around, McClatchy reports via data from Advertising Analytics. Meanwhile, the party is shifting its resources to the Rust Belt, most notably jacking up TV ad spending in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
After spending $1.7 million in Michigan in 2016 and losing the state, Democrats have multiplied that total seven times over to spend $12.4 million on the state so far this year. The party's $2.8 million in Wisconsin in 2016 has grown to $9.6 million. And in Pennsylvania, the biggest of the states Hillary Clinton unexpectedly lost last time around, Democrats have upped their spending from $1.8 million to $17.3 million in 2020.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Republicans are taking a more evenly spread approach, increasing their 2016 spending in Florida by just over $1 million. They've also upped their minimal 2016 ad buys in North Carolina to around $6.6 million this time around, as well as thrown a few more millions into Michigan and Wisconsin. But their biggest increase by far is, like Democrats, in Pennsylvania, where a $1.4 million investment in TV ads in 2016 has reached $13 million in 2020. Find more of McClatchy's ad spending comparisons here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Libya's 'curious' football cup, played in Italy to empty stadiums
Under The Radar 'Curious collaboration' saw Al-Ahli Tripoli crowned league champions in Milan before a handful of spectators
-
What taxes do you pay on a home sale?
The Explainer Some people — though not many — will need to pay capital gains taxes upon selling their home
-
Schools: The return of a dreaded fitness test
Feature Donald Trump is bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to classrooms nationwide
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages