Republican candidates running in the 2026 midterm elections have largely dropped Donald Trump from their broadcast advertising, shifting their focus away from the former president despite his efforts to make the contests a direct referendum on his leadership.
An analysis of advertising data compiled by AdImpact shows a sharp contrast between primary season strategies and current general election campaigns across Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. While candidates from both major parties heavily featured Trump during their primary contests, general election messaging has pivoted toward broad economic concerns and health care policy.
The decline in Trump-focused messaging is most pronounced among Republican House candidates. According to the AdImpact figures, Trump appeared in 66 percent of Republican primary ads for House races, but that figure has plummeted to just 3 percent in general election advertising. A similar retreat is visible in Senate contests, where Republican ads mentioning the former president dropped from 77 percent during the primaries to 22 percent in the general election. Gubernatorial races followed the same trajectory, with Republican ad mentions falling by 34 percentage points.
Democrats have also pulled back from featuring Trump, though less dramatically. He appeared in 45 percent of Democratic primary ads, but his presence in their general election spots has dropped to 18 percent.
Political campaigns routinely lean on prominent national figures during contentious primary fights to energize loyal base voters before pivoting to broader domestic policy themes for the general electorate. However, the scale of this year’s retreat stands out given Trump’s aggressive push to tie himself to the midterm outcomes. Trump has repeatedly urged voters to treat the election as if his name were physically on the ballot and demanded that commercials broadcast during the Republican midterm convention in September prominently feature him.
Beyond direct mentions of the former president, Republican candidates have also dialled back references to several of Trump’s signature policy platforms. The share of GOP Senate ads mentioning immigration has dropped by 20 percentage points, while House ads featuring the topic fell by 14 points. References to law enforcement declined from 11 percent of Republican Senate primary ads to 6 percent in the general election, even as overall campaign mentions of crime saw an increase.
At the same time, both parties have poured significantly more resources into messaging surrounding the economy and health care, with House Republicans recording a particularly noticeable surge in health care-focused commercials.
The AdImpact data examined broadcast advertising that aired prior to each state’s primary compared with spots broadcast between the primary contests and Oct. 26. Analysts note that these trends may intensify even further in the final stretch of advertising leading up to Election Day.
