Between snaps of the pigskin every autumn, Virginia politicians try to stand out between car brands, fast food hamburgers, pharmaceutical jingles and other advertisements.
When every vote counts, political campaigns in Virginia spend big money each election to advertise for themselves and against their opponents. On the gridiron of politics, name recognition is invaluable, and the teams scrap for every yard ahead of Election Day.
“It’s absolutely about finding voters where they are,” said Tyler Daniel, visiting assistant professor of political science at Roanoke College. “Whether that’s watching sports, scrolling through social media, or wherever else.”
Up for vote this year are all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, plus governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and local offices.
One of Virginia’s highest-dollar campaigns is close to home: House District 41, covering eastern Montgomery and western Roanoke County. It’s a rematch between incumbent Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery, and Lily Franklin, a Democrat from Blacksburg who narrowly lost in 2023.
Two years ago, fewer than 200 votes decided this razor-thin political race. Put in other racing terms, that would be like a photo finish during Sunday’s NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway.
Based on ad spending so far, both campaigns expect another close result after the dust settles this year.
As of Friday, the race for House District 41 generated more than $1.6 million in political ad spending, mostly for television and radio, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
“That’s very abnormal for a state election,” Daniel said. “But it does track that we are seeing elections across the country getting more expensive.”
So far, Obenshain’s campaign has bought $835,000 worth of ads, compared to ad spends totaling $776,000 by Franklin’s campaign. The opponents spent a combined $300,000 since Monday, and that number will continue to climb until polls close Nov. 4.
“It’s one of the only races that is really competitive,” Daniel said. “It could go either way.”
The district is home to about 55,346 registered voters, making the combined ad spend more than $29 per voter. That’s at least a chicken dinner’s worth of advertising for each voter, but that figure could possibly cover a good steak by the time of the final tally.
The total spend puts this race fifth among the most-advertised Virginia house races so far in 2025, according to VPAP as of Friday.
Both candidates have spent by far the most money on broadcast TV ads, per VPAP’s data, compared to cable TV ads, Facebook ads, Google ads and radio ads.
Ads supporting Franklin have invested more on internet platforms, while those supporting Obenshain tend to favor older media.