Wesleyan Media Project

The Wesleyan Media Project was cited in analysis of the 2026 midterms money war, providing data on the divergence between Democratic and Republican super PAC spending as the cycle moved into its critical phase. The project's ad-tracking infrastructure captures television, cable, radio and digital political advertising, making it the primary non-partisan source for comparing the $257 million Republican super PAC position against the $139 million Democratic one.

Based at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, the project was founded in 1998 and is one of only two organisations — alongside the Kantar/CMAG system — that track political advertising in real time at scale across all major US media markets. It is funded by the National Science Foundation and private foundations, ensuring editorial independence from the campaigns it monitors. Its data is regularly used by academic researchers, journalists, and the Federal Election Commission.

In every competitive midterms cycle since 2010, Wesleyan data has been the baseline for reporting on the ratio of negative to positive advertising, the geographic distribution of ad buys, and the spending gap between incumbents and challengers. In 2026 its data will be particularly important for tracking whether the Republican $118 million super PAC advantage translates into air superiority in the 15 to 20 most competitive House seats.