Politics

Joe Biden has spent $500 million on ads this year as he seeks the presidency

Key Points
  • Joe Biden's campaign has spent over $500 million on TV, digital and radio ads this year.
  • Biden's campaign has opened its checkbooks to target voters through ad buys in key states such as Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and Texas. 
  • Trump, on the other hand, has gone dark in certain states and shifted his campaign's TV ad spending toward Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. 
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at a carpenters union in Phoenix, Arizona, October 8, 2020.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

Joe Biden's presidential campaign has broken the $500 million mark on his ad spending in its fight against President Donald Trump. 

The campaign has spent that amount on TV, digital and radio ads since the start of the year, according to ad tracking firm Advertising Analytics. 

The amount includes what the former vice president spent in his successful battle in the Democratic primaries. 

Since he won the nomination, Biden's campaign has opened up its checkbooks to target voters through ad buys in key states such as Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and Texas. 

Trump, on the other hand, has gone dark in certain states and shifted his campaigns TV ad spending toward Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. 

Since early September, Biden has spent just under $95 million on TV ads while Trump has put up over $41 million, according to the Wesleyan Media Project.

The two are vying for supremacy with their Facebook ad spending: They are virtually tied in investing into the social media giants ad platform this month. Each has spent just over $5 million on Facebook ads over the course of the week. 

The presidential and congressional elections in the 2020 cycle are expected to end up costing $10.8 billion

Biden is ahead of Trump by just under 10 points, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average. 

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