Presidential Ad Spending in Texas

 Data from

                                
     
Spending on Presidential Advertising in Texas, May 1-Nov. 3, 2020      
Total $29.6 million

Summary: The Biden campaign made a late play in Texas, bolstered by spending by outside groups.  On the Republican side most of the ad spending was in the form of coordinated expenditures.  Overall Biden and allies outspent Trump and allies in Texas by $21.0 million to $8.6 million.  An unusually high proportion of presidential ad spending in the state, 47.8%, went into digital, while the share on broadcast advertising was low, 41.2%.  To put total spending in context, dividing $29.6 million total ad spending by 38 electoral votes gives a figure of $778,289 per electoral vote; Biden and allies spent about $551,973 and Trump and allies about $225,012 per electoral vote.  Dividing by 11,315,056 votes tallied in the presidential race in Texas gives a figure of $2.61 per vote; Biden and allies spent $3.99 per Biden vote and Trump and allies spent $1.45 per Trump vote.

These data cover spending on advertising on electronic media (broadcast, cable, radio, digital and satellite) but do not include other types of paid media such as billboards, print advertising and persuasion mail.
Data on this page do not show "independent" ads which account for a tiny amount of spending (less than 0.1%).  "Independent" ads includes ads from third party presidential candidates and other small mostly digital buys from various groups.
Also note that groups such as The Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump, although organized by Republicans and thus nominally Republican, are included under Democrat (Biden/Allies) spending since their purpose was to attack Trump.

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Presidential Ad Spending by Month, May 1-Nov. 3, 2020

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Presidential Ad Spending by Advertiser Type, May 1-Nov. 3, 2020

 Biden and Allies
 Trump and Allies
Candidate
 		$4,366,431
 $1,631,437
Coordinated
 		$3,578,811
 $6,615,733
Interest Group
 $13,029,713
 $303,319
Total
 		$20,974,955
 		$8,550,489


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Top Presidential Ad Spending Groups, May 1-Nov. 3, 2020
Supporting Biden  $13.0m

Supporting Trump  $0.3m
Independence USA PAC
 		 $6,962,506
America First Policies
 		   $175,876
Future Forward
 		$3,653,132


The Lincoln Project
 $1,320,650




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Presidential Ad Spending by Media Type, May 1-Nov. 3, 2020
Biden/Allies $20,974,955

Candidate
 Coordinated
 Interest Group
Broadcast
 		$1,807,105
 $4,970
 $10,295,187
Cable
 		$807,657
 -
 $1,338,702
Radio
 		$585,870
 -
 $107,348
Digital
 		$888,308
 $3,573,841
 $1,288,476
Satellite
 		$277,490
 -
 -
Total
 $4,366,431
 $3,578,811
 $13,029,713



Trump/Allies $8,550,489

Candidate
 		Coordinated
 		Interest Group
Broadcast
 		-
 -
 $77,910
Cable
 		-
 -
 $78,226
Radio
 		$10,780
 -
 -
Digital
 		$1,620,657
 $6,615,733
 $147,183
Satellite
 		-
 -
 -
Total
 $1,631,437
 $6,615,733
 $303,319


Of $29.6 million presidential ad spending in Texas, $12.2 million (41.2%) was on broadcast, $2.2 million (7.5%) on cable, $14.1 million (47.8%) on digital, $703,998 (2.4%) on radio and $277,490 (0.94%) on satellite.  As noted above, these data do not include other types of paid media such as billboards, print advertising and persuasion mail.


See:
Press release from Mike Bloomberg's Independence USA PAC.

Alexander Burns.  "Bloomberg Funds Last-Minute Advertising Blitz for Biden in Texas and Ohio."  New York Times, Oct. 27, 2020.

Todd J. Gillman.  "Joe Biden scales back rare Democratic investment in Texas, but dispatches Jill Biden to stoke the embers."  Dallas Morning News, Oct. 9, 2020.

Alex Samuels and Patrick Svitek.  "Biden campaign to spend $6 million on Texas campaign ads, more than any Democratic presidential nominee in decades."  Texas Tribune, Oct. 6, 2020.

Todd J. Gillman.  "Biden makes $6M bet on Texas, ending drought for Democrats who've written off state for decades."  Dallas Morning News, Oct. 5, 2020.