A record $11.6 billion has flooded screens across the country in the 2026 midterms, and only a handful of ads have earned the grudging respect of operatives on both sides, Axios reports. Multiple Republican strategists singled out a series of attacks on Sen. Roger Marshall over lawsuits against patients, while an ad in Nebraska about a past pardon was named by both parties as among the cycle's most damaging, and AI-generated spots in Michigan and Texas depicted fabricated scenes, while a Texas ad put words in a Democratic candidate's mouth.
The ads against Marshall (R-Kans.) centred on lawsuits against patients with overdue medical bills, some of whom were later arrested. According to Axios, Marshall released a self-directed ad answering the attacks, against the advice of his own team.
In Nebraska, an ad highlighting a past vote by former Gov. Pete Ricketts to pardon a man convicted of rape was singled out by both parties as one of the cycle's most damaging. Ricketts is expected to win his Senate race.
In Maine, an upbeat radio jingle attacked Democratic nominee Troy Jackson over having children with his second cousin. "If he'll fk his own family, he'll fk yours too," the ad said, among other things. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called for the ad to be taken down.
In Florida, Rep. María Salazar (R-Fla.) criticised President Trump, her party's leader, over ICE's aggressive enforcement tactics, saying some immigration policies had "gone too far."
Hardened operatives are also dealing with a newer front: AI-generated attack ads that can invent scenarios and put words in an opponent's mouth. In Michigan, a Republican-aligned super PAC used AI-generated imagery to depict Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a fabricated family photo and playing a game with cards referencing "Death to America" and 9/11. In Texas, Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton's team used AI to depict Democratic candidate James Talarico defacing a Bible with a crayon and saying: "In the beginning God was non-binary, and he wasn't a Christian. And God said, 'let there be six genders,' and there were."
An attack ad also fed a public dispute in the Michigan Senate race. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) withdrew her support from El-Sayed after a public dispute over an ad she called antisemitic. El-Sayed ultimately disavowed the ad but said Stevens was not welcome at his events, and she endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) on Sunday.
In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy's (R) ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent for governor, Amy Acton, drew immediate bipartisan backlash. Axios reports it could prove fatal to his gubernatorial bid and that Republicans worry it could hurt Sen. John Husted's re-election chances. Ramaswamy doubled down before pulling the ad off air, and one internal GOP poll had Acton's lead grow by 6 points after the ad ran.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- With a record $11.6 billion spent on political advertising in the 2026 midterms, according to Axios, the spots that operatives on both sides remember are the ones most likely to have moved votes in close races.
- The cycle has brought AI-generated attack ads that fabricate photographs and dialogue, a tactic both parties' operatives now have to plan around, Axios reports.
- Several of the races the ads targeted are still being contested, including Ricketts's expected Senate win in Nebraska and the fallout from the Ramaswamy ad in Ohio.
Background
US midterm elections fall at the midpoint of a presidential term, with all House seats, many Senate seats and most governorships on the ballot. Attack advertising has long been a staple of American campaigns, and this cycle operatives are also contending with AI-generated imagery and audio that can depict events which never happened.
Key Perspectives
- Multiple Republican strategists: singled out the series of ads attacking Roger Marshall and the Nebraska ad about Pete Ricketts as among the cycle's most brutal and damaging, according to Axios.
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): called for the radio ad about Troy Jackson to be taken down.
- Rep. María Salazar (R-Fla.): criticised President Trump over ICE enforcement, saying some immigration policies had "gone too far."
- Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.): called an ad in the Michigan Senate race antisemitic, withdrew her support from Abdul El-Sayed and endorsed Mike Rogers.
- Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.): disavowed the ad but said Stevens was not welcome at his events.
What to Watch
- Nebraska: whether Ricketts's expected Senate win holds despite the pardon ad both parties called damaging.
- Ohio: whether pulling the Ramaswamy ad limits the backlash, after an internal GOP poll had Acton's lead up 6 points following the ad.
- Michigan: how far Stevens's endorsement of Rogers shifts a Senate race already reshaped by the dispute over the ad.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe Maine radio ad said, “If he'll f**k his own family, he'll f**k yours too,” among other things.Axios: “"If he'll f**k his own family, he'll f**k yours too," the radio ad said (among other things).”
- SupportedThe Texas AI ad depicted James Talarico saying, “In the beginning God was non-binary, and he wasn't a Christian. And God said, 'let there be six genders,' and there were.”Axios: “In Texas, GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton's team used AI to depict Democratic candidate James Talarico defacing a Bible with a crayon and saying: "In the beginning God was non-binary, and he wasn't a Christian. And God said, 'let there be six genders,' and there were."”
- Partly supportedOperatives picked out 2026's most damaging attack ads.Axios: “Only a handful of those earned the grudging respect of operatives on both sides. In Nebraska, an ad highlighting a past vote by former Gov. Pete Ricketts to pardon a man convicted of rape was singled out by both parties as one of the cycle's most damaging.”
- SupportedA record $11.6 billion was spent on political ads during the 2026 midterms.Axios: “A record $11.6 billion has plastered political ads across screens of every size in the country during the 2026 midterms .”
- SupportedMultiple Republican strategists singled out a series of attacks on Sen. Roger Marshall.Axios: “Multiple Republican strategists singled out the "brutal" series of ads attacking Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kans.)”
- SupportedThe Marshall ads attacked him over lawsuits against patients with overdue medical bills.Axios: “over lawsuits against patients with overdue medical bills — some of whom were later arrested .”
- SupportedSome of the patients with overdue medical bills were later arrested.Axios: “some of whom were later arrested .”
- SupportedMarshall released a self-directed ad answering the attacks against his team's advice.Axios: “Against the advice of his own team, Marshall released a self-directed ad answering the attacks.”
- SupportedBoth parties singled out the Nebraska ad about Pete Ricketts’s past vote to pardon a man convicted of rape as one of the cycle’s most damaging.Axios: “In Nebraska, an ad highlighting a past vote by former Gov. Pete Ricketts to pardon a man convicted of rape was singled out by both parties as one of the cycle's most damaging.”
- SupportedA Republican-aligned super PAC used AI imagery to depict Abdul El-Sayed in a fabricated family photo and playing a game with cards referencing “Death to America” and 9/11.Axios: “In Michigan, a Republican-aligned super PAC used AI-generated imagery to depict Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a fabricated family photo and playing a game with cards referencing "Death to America" and 9/11.”
- SupportedKen Paxton’s team used AI to depict Talarico defacing a Bible with a crayon and saying the quoted words.Axios: “In Texas, GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton's team used AI to depict Democratic candidate James Talarico defacing a Bible with a crayon and saying: "In the beginning God was non-binary, and he wasn't a Christian. And God said, 'let there be six genders,' and there were."”
- SupportedAn internal GOP poll showed Amy Acton’s lead grew by 6 points after the ad ran.Axios: “One internal GOP poll had Acton's lead grow by 6 points after the ad ran.”