Super PACs and High-Spending Ads Shape Final Week of 2025 Midterm Races
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
New data shows industry-backed super PACs and record ad spending are influencing several competitive Senate and gubernatorial contests as the 2025 midterms near.
A data-center industry super PAC called Building The Future has spent almost $2 million on television ads supporting Republican Sen. Darline Graham in her close South Carolina Senate race. The ads highlight Graham’s tax cuts and portray her as a barrier to “Washington liberals.”
Building The Future, an offshoot of the tech-focused Leading The Future PAC and its nonprofit Build American AI, was created to counter growing public opposition to data-center projects, which are seen as essential for artificial-intelligence development. The group has also reserved six-figure ad buys for a competitive Senate race in Kansas, where incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall faces a strong challenge.
In Michigan, Vice President JD Vance praised Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers as a “servant for the people of Michigan,” while criticizing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and suggesting he aligns with national Democratic leadership. Vance described the Michigan contest as “the most important election in the United States of America.”
Election forecasters at the University of Virginia’s Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted 21 Senate races and 16 House contests toward Democrats, reflecting the difficulty Republicans face in retaining majorities. Ratings in North Carolina, Florida and South Carolina moved in Democrats’ favor, though the latter two remain “Likely Republican” and “Leans Republican,” respectively.
Ad-tracking firm AdImpact reports that the final week of the midterms will see massive spending in red-state Senate contests. Ohio’s Senate race has already exceeded $500 million in total ad purchases, while Texas is projected to top $555 million. Kansas, Iowa and Michigan are each expected to receive around $27-30 million in advertising.
A large bet of $499,800 was placed on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s re-election, giving him a 70 % implied chance of winning, according to prediction-market data from Kalshi. Betting-intelligence analyst Dan Zimmermann called it the biggest single-race wager seen on major platforms for the midterms.
President Donald Trump announced that a tanker carrying one million barrels of Venezuelan oil will dock in Corpus Christi, describing the shipment as the first of “billions of barrels” to arrive at no cost to taxpayers. He also said gasoline and diesel prices would soon “plummet down.”
Elon Musk contributed $5 million to Abbott’s campaign, adding to a prior $500,000 donation, as disclosed in Texas campaign-finance filings. Abbott’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Gina Hinojosa, has requested access to emails between Abbott’s office and Musk, alleging potential corruption.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Republican Party expects to retain its House majority and pledged a “peaceful transfer of power” only if Democrats were to win, while emphasizing his confidence in President Trump’s continued influence on the election.
Overall, the data shows unprecedented ad spending, significant super-PAC activity, and high-profile political donations shaping the final stretch of the 2025 midterm elections.