Both parties are spending big where Trump won easily

With Election Day near, Democrats and Republicans are each spending at least $100,000 in 70 House districts, including conservative places that backed President Trump comfortably in 2024.

That 70 district count was tallied by Stephen Fowler, an NPR reporter, from numbers from the ad tracking firm Ad Impact. It covers expected toss-ups as well as areas such as the region around Little Rock, Arkansas, and western Montana, where he said voters have grown uneasy about where the country is headed.

The Senate battle shows the same reach into Trump strongholds. In Kansas, advertising outlays have risen to ten times the level of a few weeks ago. Democratic Senate campaign funds are going to Mississippi, while Trump is campaigning in South Carolina and planned a telephone rally for Louisiana on the night before the election. He carried those states by about 20 points in 2024.

In those same states, Fowler pointed to unusually strong participation by Black voters and soft participation by Republicans. He also cited higher participation by Latino and young voters in places that favor Democrats, and by people who do not vote in every election. That leaves uncertainty about who will make up the final electorate, and means Republicans may need a big same day vote to remain competitive.