One week remains in the 2026 midterm elections, and candidates and their allies are making their final arguments to voters. Four campaign ads from different Senate races backed by the most money over the previous week, according to AdImpact data, show what those messages look like.
The ad with the most money behind it comes from Texas PAC, a super PAC specifically formed for the blockbuster US Senate race in the Lone Star State, and funded by more than $150 million linked to tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Backed by nearly $20 million in the last week alone, it seizes on James Talarico’s recent flu-induced absence from the campaign trail to tell voters, via a sheriff’s warning, that the Democratic candidate “has been absent when it comes to public safety and his liberal crime agenda – it’ll make it harder for us to protect you.”
Second is an ad from WinSenate, the principal Democratic super PAC focused on Senate races, backed by about $5.7 million over the last week in Ohio. The spot implies corrupt dealings between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and an energy company, though Husted was not charged with any wrongdoing. Anti-corruption messaging has emerged as a key theme in midterm races this year.
Third is another ad from WinSenate in Iowa, which it spent $3.7 million airing over the last week. It hammers GOP nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson, for supporting the Trump administration. “Hinson voted 7 times for the war, and now gas is through the roof. She voted 5 times for the tariffs. Now Iowa farms are going under,” the ad says.
Fourth is an ad from a GOP outside group, Great Lakes Conservatives Fund, targeting Michigan’s heated Senate race. Also backed by $3.7 million over the last week, it blasts Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, over alleged associations with the Muslim Brotherhood. “El Sayed, we just can’t trust him,” the ad ends.