US midterm results in maps and charts
The 2026 US midterm elections are expected to be the most expensive in history, according to the nonpartisan watchdog group OpenSecrets. In the battle for the US Senate, outside groups and independent committees spent at least $2 billion. That was separate from candidates’ direct expenditures. Republican-affiliated groups spent roughly 60% more than Democratic-aligned groups — but that did not prevent them from losing at least seven seats.
Chart comparing how much outside groups spent on Senate races they won and lost. Groups backing Republicans spent $1.16 billion, and $1.1 billion of that went to candidates who lost; only $64 million backed winners. Groups backing Democrats spent $689 million, nearly all of it, $677 million, on winning candidates, with $12 million on losers.
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that was certainly true in the state’s US Senate race. The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, and other deep-pocketed Republicans spent $316 million to back state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who struggled to raise money on his own. Democratic groups spent $109 million to support James Talarico, whose campaign raised more than $146 million directly.
Marquee races in Ohio and Michigan also saw nine-figure sums spent, with the dollars accelerating as Election Day approached.
Area charts of weekly outside spending from late July through October in four Senate races, comparing groups backing each party. In Texas, $207 million more was spent on the Republican candidate, with spending peaking near $70 million a week in September after an influx of donations from Elon Musk. Republicans also outspent Democrats by $97 million in Ohio and $76 million in Michigan, while Democrats outspent Republicans by $9 million in Iowa. The Democratic candidate won in all four states.
Outside groups can quickly redirect spending as political conditions change. Spending in Georgia and North Carolina declined as Republican prospects in those races faded. At the same time, spending ramped up in South Carolina, Mississippi and Kansas as competitive races emerged in what was formerly safe Republican terrain.
Spending changed as Democrats pulled ahead in North Carolina and Georgia and other seats started to look more competitive.
Area charts of weekly outside spending in five Senate races from late July through October. In North Carolina and Georgia, spending fell off in the fall as Republican candidates faded. Overall, $14 million more was spent on the Republican side in North Carolina, and Democrats had a $2 million edge in Georgia. In South Carolina, Kansas and Mississippi, spending ramped up sharply in October, with Democrats ahead by $23 million in Kansas and $13 million in Mississippi, and Republicans ahead by $1 million in South Carolina.
Democrats may question whether they should have put more than $129,000 into Louisiana, where their candidate, Jamie Davis, lost by less than two percentage points.
