DAYTON — On Tuesday, voters will be heading to the polls, making a few big decisions about the future of Ohio.
This year’s midterm election is the most expensive ever. It’s projected to reach $11.6 billion.
Ohio’s U.S. Senate race is one of the most expensive in the country.
News Center 7’s Cody Butler learned Monday that hundreds of millions of dollars are pouring into the Buckeye State.
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Charlie Schinaman, of Dayton, said, “I’m just really excited for the election to be over.”
There is no escaping the political ads this election season. “Literally back-to-back-to-back. I don’t see anything other than that,” Schinaman said.
This year’s election is on track to be the most expensive ever. Ohio’s U.S. Senate and Gubernatorial races are setting records.
More than $500 million has been spent on the U.S. Senate race alone. State campaign finance reports show that Democrat Amy Action has spent $26.2 million, compared to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s $51.1 million.
Dan Birdsong, a political scientist at the University of Dayton, said, “A lot of the money is being spent in opposition to candidates, especially the outside money.
Birdsong said the outside money is fueling this election.
“You have a few billionaires out there that can try to influence an election, and they see it within their interest to do so. And so, there’s going to be more money,” Birdsong said.
He also told News Center 7 that part of the reason elections are costing more is that there are so many options for voters to get information.
“We have so many options to choose from, and candidates need to get your attention, and they have to spend not just on television, but also in these others just to get the eyes or the ears of potential voters,” Birdsong said.
Schinaman said he is ready for the ads to end. “I just want to watch YouTube TV and watch basketball and football, and they’re ruining my time,” he said.
Birdsong said you can’t go by the candidate who spends the most money wins.
The latest polls show Acton has a slight advantage right now, despite spending significantly less than Ramaswamy.
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