- Elon Musk’s ownership has shifted X’s political stance, affecting Democratic ad spending.
- Some Democratic ad campaigns still see opportunities in ads on X, formerly known as Twitter.
- X switched political ads back on last year as it looked to recoup lost revenue after a brand exodus.
While some Democratic political advertisers — including Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign — have stopped spending on X altogether, a small number are holding firm.
Two years after billionaire Elon Musk bought X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter leans far more conservative. Musk has fundraised for Trump, revved up supporters at his rallies, and apparently has an open spot in the former president’s cabinet should he win next week’s election.
That hasn’t stopped some Democratic campaigns from advertising on X. Rep. Colin Allred ran ads this month to drum up donations as he seeks to defeat Sen. Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate race. The @ColinAllredTX account has spent almost $322,000 on X ads this year, per an analysis of X’s US political and campaigning ads disclosure report. The public archive was last updated on October 26.
Elsewhere, Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has run an ad in the style of an iPhone Notes app message featuring a picture of him holding a jar of pickles.
“There’s no denying it—we’re in a pickle,” read the ad, which seeks donations for Tester’s reelection campaign. The account has spent about $259,000 in the year to date, the X ad disclosure reported.
Montana is the most important race on the map—your donation will help us reach undecided voters before time runs out. I need your help to defeat Tim Sheehy and defend our way of life. With all donations being triple-matched, will you help us get out of this pickle by pitching in?
— Jon Tester (@jontester) October 7, 2024
X didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.
X remains a town square for news
Political ad experts said X remains an essential platform for reaching voters in the tightly fought election period. Notable users are still posting, and it’s still one of the first places where people of all political leanings go to catch up on breaking news. Harris still posts frequently on X, even though her campaign isn’t buying ads.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted in August that 37 million Democrats, 32 million Republicans, and 34 million swing voters use X, citing Causeway Solutions, a data firm with Republican links that applies predictive modeling to publicly available data.
“One side of the aisle may be more comfortable advertising on X, but that doesn’t mean you can leave a vacuum on the other side,” said Tyler Goldberg, director of political strategy at the media agency Assembly Global. “There’s a reason why you see Democrats on Fox News buying ads.”
Mike Nellis, CEO of the Democratic campaign firm Authentic, said X has performed particularly well for fundraising pushes for “name brand” Democrats. Nellis, who organized the “White Dudes for Harris” online fundraiser, also said X had improved its offering for creators who pay to be verified to boost their reach and access tools like analytics and its Media Studio.
“I have a love-hate relationship with this website. It has a vibrancy to it I don’t think has been there for a very long time, and I’m enjoying that aspect in the middle of a close election,” Nellis said. “At the same time, I’ve been doxxed on this website.”
X has made a dedicated effort to bring in political campaign ad buyers. Last November, it convened a group of them for cocktails at the Riggs Hotel in Washington, DC.
Led by Matthew Madrazo, X’s lead client partner for Republican accounts, and Jonathan Phelps, X’s lead client partner for the Democratic side, the X political ads team pitched advertisers on the site’s audience, the evolution of its ads offering, and how X intended to show up for US elections.
Attendees described a room packed with political agencies and campaign honchos from both sides of the aisle — as well as multiple ID checks and super-tight security prowling the room to enforce the strict “no recording” policy. There was no Q&A.
X is falling short on lost advertising revenue
Republicans far outspend Democrats on X. @TeamTrump alone has spent close to $1 million this year; @LaraLeaTrump, @tedcruz, and @RandPaul are among the Republican accounts that have spent more than $500,000, X’s ad disclosure said.
The roughly $15 million spent so far by all political advertisers this year falls dramatically short of the $100 million target X had reportedly set itself for the 2024 US election cycle, the Financial Times reported.
Pre-Musk, Twitter generated under $3 million in political ad spend for the 2018 US midterms, according to Ned Segal, its former chief financial officer. It ceased taking political advertising in 2019 under former CEO Jack Dorsey; Musk reversed that decision last year.
Political advertising on X had always been a tiny portion of the total. The research firm EMARKETER predicted that political ad spending in the US will top $12 billion this year. TV advertising, at $7 billion, accounts for most of that outlay. Meta and Google are forecast to be the big online winners, bringing in around $569 million and $553 million from political ads, respectively.
In August, ad spending on X was down 68% versus the prior year, according to Guideline, an analytics firm that tracks spending from major advertising agencies.
X has been banking on the US election season to recoup revenue lost after several major brands dialed down their spending on the site or exited altogether amid concerns about content moderation and its general reliability and effectiveness. Some Democratic advertisers said X is a no-go zone for similar reasons.
“Between the hate speech that’s going unpoliced to the ad placements that are being shown alongside it to Elon himself, it’s at the point where it’s not a great fit for many clients,” said Mark Jablonowski, president of the Democratic political adtech firm DSPolitical.
Andy Kiersz contributed reporting for this story.
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