Steve Passwaiter

Dec 2, 2024 | adage.com | Steve Passwaiter

Billions of dollars—$11 billion according to AdImpact—were spent in elections that returned Donald Trump to the White House and gave Republicans majorities in the Senate and House. Among governors, Republicans’ 27-23 lead over Democrats is unchanged; we await outcomes in Virginia and New Jersey in November 2025 that might provide a first look at how the new administration is being perceived. There wasn’t much joy for Democrats.

Oct 14, 2024 | adage.com | Steve Passwaiter |Adrianne Pasquarelli

With fewer than 30 days to Election Day, the outcome is still too close to call. However, it’s a great time to be in the media business as political ad spending has surpassed $6 billion, according to MediaRadar and AdImpact. Money is pouring into all forms of media but especially video. The longtime darling of political advertisers is again dominating spending with nearly $5.8 billion spent on linear TV (broadcast, cable) and CTV (streaming).

Sep 17, 2024 | adage.com | Gillian Follett |Steve Passwaiter

Instagram is changing the default privacy settings for many teenagers, part of an effort to keep them safer and give parents more control over how their kids interact online. The new settings will make teen accounts private by default, limit who those users can send private messages to, and put teens in the “most restrictive” tier when it comes to viewing sensitive content.

Aug 19, 2024 | adage.com | Steve Passwaiter |Adrianne Pasquarelli |Tim Nudd

Democrats have a financial edge in political ad spending in 2024. The only question is how big the advantage will be in presidential, Senate and House races—where control of Congress is at stake. One of the challenges for down-ballot candidates is heightened interest in the presidential race. Since replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, the amount of money pouring into Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is staggering.

May 31, 2024 | adage.com | Steve Passwaiter

Just five months from Election Day, the finish line is in sight. Before discussing the race for the White House, let’s revisit the U.S. Senate race in Maryland, which has come into focus now that the primary is over. Despite spending $60 million of his own money, Democratic Rep. David Trone couldn’t overcome a late challenge from Prince George County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic Senate primary.