Here's who is spending the most on ads in Pa.'s four key congressional contests

With Election Day only weeks away, candidates in Pennsylvania’s four swing congressional districts are making their pitches to voters with control of the House up for grabs.

And that means ads. A lot of ads.

Be prepared to be bombarded every time you turn on your TV, radio or computer as rival candidates spend big to get their competing messages out with the help of national political groups backing them.

In total, approximately $90 million has been allocated in total from both parties to these four general election races as of Friday, with the GOP outspending Democrats $46.5 million to $44.1 million, according to AdImpact, a media tracking firm.

Here’s what to know about who is spending in Bucks County’s 1st Congressional District and the state’s other contests drawing national attention.

Out of the state’s four competitive congressional races, the Lehigh Valley’s 7th District contest between Democrat Bob Brooks and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is by far the most expensive.

There’s been $28 million in total in ad spends and reservations between June and December, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.

Democrats have allocated roughly $10.7 million in advertising so far to the general election efforts to unseat Mackenzie, seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the nation. The party’s top advertiser is the House Majority PAC.

The GOP has earmarked about $17.3 million trying to defend the seat, and the Republicans’ top advertiser in the 7th is the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely tied to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Both of those have focused on hitting the opposing candidate and party on affordability-related issues.

Up in the Scranton area, where Democrat Paige Cognetti is challenging GOP U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan in the 8th District, Democrats are currently outspending Republicans $14.8 million to $12.3 million in ad buys between June and December

Most of the ads released so far have come directly from the Cognetti or Bresnahan campaigns with recent spots from both focusing on issues related to affordability and supporting the middle class.

The contest in Philly suburbs between U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie is the least expensive — so far —of the four races with $13.8 million in total spending and reservations.

Democrats are now outspending Republicans by roughly $3 million — $8.5 million to $5.2 million, by roughly $3 million — after a recent boost in attention from party leaders and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The House Majority PAC is the party’s top advertiser in the district.

Fitzpatrick, the longtime GOP incumbent, is spending and reserving far more on ads than he has before — $4.5 million in total between June and December. During the entirety of his 2024 reelection bid, Fitzpatrick’s campaign spent roughly $460,000 on ads.

The incumbent lawmaker’s ads have been a major point of contention in the Bucks County district, particularly allegations made by Fitzpatrick’s campaign that Harvie is the “subject” of an FBI corruption investigation. Harvie has never been under investigation, his lawyers have said.

This point of attack stems from when Harvie — a former Falls Township supervisor — and other officials, testified as witnesses to a grand jury in relation to a 2022 FBI probe into union contracts and political donations related to the Pennsbury School District.

Harvie’s campaign has filed a cease-and-desist against the Fitzpatrick campaign for the ads and filed a defamation suit against a super PAC supporting Fitzpatrick. On Tuesday, the super PAC filed a motion to dismiss the suit.

For his part, Harvie has recently released two TV ads: one calling for a moratorium on data centers and another emphasizing his roots in Bucks County and hitting Fitzpatrick on affordability issues.

In the Harrisburg-based 10th District, between Democrat Janelle Stelson and Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, it’s a pretty tight money race, as Democrats have spent $10 million on ad buys, while the GOP has spent $11.6 million

The 10th District is rematch of the 2024 between Stelson and Perry after the former TV news anchor was defeated by a very slim margin. Since then, she has continued to pull a hefty fundraising haul.

In advertising in the 10th District, Perry’s campaign is the biggest advertiser for the GOP and House Majority PAC is for Democrats. A recent ad from Perry features the lawmaker vowing to not raises taxes and referring to Democrats as “socialists.”

A new ad from the House Majority PAC features a voter criticizes Perry for rising costs.