FlexPoint Media Leads Record Midterm Political Ad Buys
The Alexandria, Virginia agency placed $813 million in political advertising during the 2026 midterms cycle, a record for the industry.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Advertising
FlexPoint Media placed a record $813 million in political ad buys during the 2026 midterms cycle. Waterfront Strategies, an Omnicom unit, placed $144 million combined with GMMB, surpassing FlexPoint by $20 million.
Why it matters
The figures show how concentrated midterm political advertising has become among a small group of agencies, which shapes how campaigns and voters encounter political messaging nationwide.
AdImpact's database listed 3,577 political advertising agencies, and the top 25 accounted for 44% of the $12 billion in total midterm spending. The data does not show how the placements were divided among candidates or parties.
The players
FlexPoint Media
An Alexandria, Virginia-based political advertising agency that led the midterm cycle in placements.
Waterfront Strategies
A political advertising firm that is part of Omnicom's GMMB unit and placed $124 million less than FlexPoint Media.
AdImpact
A political advertising data firm whose database was used to rank agencies by midterm billings.
The details
AdImpact's billings analysis ranked agencies by total midterm political ad placements. The top 25 agencies placed $5.3 billion, while the rest of the field of 3,577 agencies accounted for the remainder of the spending.
Timeline
2026 midterms cycle: record $12 billion in political spending.
Wednesday: AdImpact billings data analyzed.
Market Landscape
The concentration of $5.3 billion among 25 agencies indicates that a small number of firms control a large share of political media buying. Omnicom's combined GMMB and Waterfront Strategies placements now rank above FlexPoint, intensifying competition among holding-company units for political advertising business.
Voters across the country will encounter messaging from these agencies' campaigns during the midterms. The concentration of placements means a small group of firms shapes much of the political advertising people see on television and online.
The takeaway
Political ad spending is increasingly concentrated among a few large agencies, so tracking which firms place the most buys offers a clearer view of how campaigns reach voters.
Further reading
Explore more on the Advertising beat for how agencies shape political campaign spending.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MediaPost.
