Political Advertisers Are Falling Behind on Digital, Report Finds

Political advertisers on both sides of the aisle are falling short on digital investment, but Republicans are ahead of the curb when it comes to building a year-round presence online, according to a new analysis of the 2024 digital landscape.

The report from Tech for Campaigns, a pro-Democratic volunteer network of tech workers, paints a picture of an industry struggling to take full advantage of digital platforms. It also offers a warning for Democrats: embrace new approaches to digital or risk falling further behind the right.

“The 2024 election results demand more than observation—they require action,” the report reads. “The disadvantage Democrats face isn’t just tactical; it’s structural, strategic, and increasingly existential.”

Here’s a look at TFC’s findings: 

Political Advertisers Are Still Behind the Curve on Digital

Years into the Internet Age, digital still makes up a relatively small percentage of political ad spending compared to commercial advertising. According to TFC’s impact report, just 36 percent of political ad budgets were allocated to digital. Commercial advertisers, on the other hand, devoted a staggering 78 percent to the digital space.

That’s a wider gap than in 2020, when commercial advertisers spent 63 percent of their budgets on digital and political advertisers spent 27 percent. Simply put, the report says, political advertisers “are further behind than they were 4 years ago.”

“Commercial brands recognize that consumer decision-making happens continuously through social feeds, streaming platforms, and digital touch points – not just during peak shopping seasons,” it reads.

Although both parties are falling behind on digital, the report argues that Republicans have managed to outpace Democrats when it comes to year-round digital investment – including in off-years. Between 2020 and 2025, leading right-wing advocacy groups and media companies cut their spending on Meta by just 3 percent in the off years, while left-wing groups’ spending on the platform fell by 75 percent in the same periods, according to TFC.

Those efforts were bolstered by a thriving digital ecosystem of right-wing creators, influencers and media companies that “have each built sustained, year-round digital operations to acquire more subscribers,” according to the impact report.

Neither Party is Taking Full Advantage of CTV

CTV ad spending surged between 2020 and 2024 as a growing number of Americans ditched traditional broadcast television for connected platforms. And while commercial marketers have raced to adapt, political advertisers “continue treating digital video as merely another screen for broadcasting the same messages,” TFC’s report argues.

Nearly 50 cents of every dollar donated to a presidential campaign in 2024 was spent on TV-style ads, according to the report. In turn, both parties frequently ran the same ads on CTV and YouTube that they ran on broadcast television. 

That’s a mistake, the report argues. 

“CTV and YouTube aren’t just broadcast TV on a different device – they each require a different approach,” it reads. “What works on TV often feels out of place or gets skipped entirely on digital platforms.”

But, according to the report, the campaign industry’s shortcomings when it comes to CTV advertising presents an opportunity for Democrats. Because neither party has fully embraced those platforms, “Democrats could begin to differentiate by developing truly platform-native content strategies, since both parties currently treat these channels like traditional broadcast.”

Democrats Have a Digital Strategy Problem

Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign outspent President Donald Trump’s operation by about $400 million in 2024. Ultimately, it didn’t matter.

TFC’s impact report found that the Trump campaign spent a much larger percentage of its digital budget on mobilization than Harris’ team did – 9 percent across Meta, Google and CTV compared to 4.6 percent for Harris. At the same time, Trump’s campaign benefited from a strong conservative and right-wing presence on digital platforms that helped shape the contours of the 2024 presidential race long before Harris ever became the Democratic nominee.

While Democrats outgunned Republicans in digital spending at the tail end of the cycle, their efforts were too little, too late, according to the report.

“The Right, especially Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously – building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement – just like commercial brand building,” the report reads. “Democrats may acknowledge this shift but continue treating digital communication as a campaign-season sprint.”