(The Center Square) — Even though Florida is no longer a battleground state, a new report projects campaign spending this year to exceed $464 million, one of the largest increases over previous projections.
According to AdImpact's latest political forecast report, Florida is predicted to see the largest increase in political spending, amounting to roughly $69 million.
But unlike Maryland, Montana and Ohio, Florida is not considered a swing state.
The report attributes the increase in Florida to abortion and marijuana measures that will be on the ballot on November 5.
Florida increased its spending projections by about $100 million, putting it in fourth place behind Maryland. Montana's projection increased by $85 million and Ohio's by $78 million.
The report notes that there have been significant changes in the political spending landscape since September 2023, resulting in significant updates to state-level spending forecasts.
California is expected to spend more than $1.1 billion on political campaigns, significantly more than all other states.
Arizona is projected to spend $803 million, followed by Pennsylvania with $800 million.
The report said the presidential primary was “one of the biggest unknowns,” mainly due to the large number of Republican candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The spending was expected to continue until a candidate was announced.
But the primary election turned out to be less competitive and less costly than initially expected.
By March 12, when former President Trump became the presumptive nominee, Republicans had spent just $300 million.
A total of just over $500 million was spent on political advertising targeting the presidential primaries.
Florida spent $103 million on its presidential primary, ranking 10th out of all 50 states.
The biggest spending was in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, which led the nation in spending on the presidential primary with $360 million.
Arizona came in second with $299 million, and Georgia came in third with $244 million.
The report notes that battleground states are most likely to determine the outcome of the 2024 election.
It is expected that $2.1 billion will be spent, a 17% increase in spending compared to the 2020 election.
