Ossoff and Turek Rely on Out-of-State Donors for Senate Races

Senators and challengers in four key states are increasingly turning to donors outside their home states to fund their campaigns. An analysis of Google Ads in Iowa, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas reveals that candidates spent over $15 million on fundraising advertisements during the 2025-26 election cycle. Roughly three-quarters of that spending targeted audiences across the country rather than within state lines.

The data indicates that candidates are using distinct messaging for these out-of-state appeals. While local television ads often avoid party labels to attract swing voters, digital fundraising ads frequently emphasize national priorities. Candidates like Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Iowa Democratic nominee Josh Turek received more than 80% of their itemized individual contributions from people living outside their states. This reliance on external funds is reshaping how these races are fought.

Platforms such as ActBlue and WinRed have lowered the cost of soliciting small donations, making national fundraising viable for candidates. Zachary Albert, a politics professor at Brandeis University, noted that the reduced transaction costs make even small contributions profitable for campaigns. "ActBlue and WinRed really reduced the transaction costs for contributing," Albert said. "Even if you're only yielding like a $5 or $10 contribution from someone like the costs of soliciting that are so much lower than they used to be, that it makes it worthwhile."

This shift forces candidates to appeal to two separate audiences: local voters and a national donor base. Daniel Hopkins, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explained that candidates must compete for attention with other prominent figures in their party. "When Jon Ossoff is trying to compete for dollars, he's competing for attention and for donations, ultimately with other prominent Democratic candidates," Hopkins said. This dynamic encourages the use of polarizing national talking points to secure funds.

Former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to return to the Senate, runs ads urging viewers to turn the state blue. In Georgia, Republican Representative Mike Collins asks supporters to help make the Senate seat red. Meanwhile, Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson highlights her "America First" credentials in her fundraising materials. These ads often focus on the status of the Senate majority or the presidency rather than specific state-level policy issues.

The Ossoff campaign stated that it is powered by small-dollar donors because the senator refuses money from corporate PACs and federal lobbyists. The campaign denied targeting audiences by location, though its digital ads reached a national audience. Other campaigns in the four states declined to comment or did not respond to interview requests. Michael Franz of the Wesleyan Media Project observed that the party label becomes more important in digital ads airing outside a candidate's home state.

Democrats built their fundraising infrastructure earlier, launching ActBlue in 2004, nearly 15 years before Republicans launched WinRed in 2019. However, Republicans have accelerated their adoption of small-dollar fundraising strategies. Sarah Bryner, a director at Public Agenda, noted that donors from safe states often send funds to competitive states to influence the Senate majority. "People from California really don't feel like they have much to do because their state's going to go blue regardless," Bryner said. "So they support candidates in states like Georgia or Texas."

Out-of-state funds have risen each election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. Some states, such as Hawaii, are moving to cap these donations starting in 2027. Raymond La Raja, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, suggested that matching local donations with public funds could incentivize candidates to focus more on constituent issues. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already spent three times as much on advertisements as in the previous midterms.