LANSING, Mich. — No U.S. House race in the country has drawn more advertising money this cycle than the fight for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, where spending on ads has now passed $61 million.
Figures from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact put the mid-Michigan district about $11 million ahead of the next most expensive House race. That tally reaches back to the start of the 2025-26 cycle and includes outside groups as well as the campaigns, so it captures both a crowded Democratic primary and the current matchup pitting first-term GOP Rep. Tom Barrett against Democrat William Lawrence.
Democrats and their allies account for more than $33 million of the advertising, and Republicans and their allies more than $27 million. About $17 million went out during the August primary, when Lawrence beat two rivals who outspent him while Barrett ran unopposed. Counting only general election ads, the district ranks fourth in the nation at roughly $44 million, about $3 million behind New York’s 13th District.
Outside groups are doing most of the spending. No single spender has topped the Congressional Leadership Fund, a GOP-aligned super PAC, which has put in a little more than $13 million. On the Democratic side, House Majority PAC is second overall with upward of $12.1 million. The Safety and Affordability PAC, part of President Donald Trump’s political network, has put nearly $6.5 million behind Barrett through Oct. 20. The candidates’ own campaigns have spent about $3 million apiece on general election ads.
Most of the money is landing on Lansing-area screens, with $32.4 million spent in that media market and nearly $19.3 million in the Detroit market.
The district is among the most closely divided in the country. Barrett won the seat in 2024 by 50.3% to 46.6%, while Trump carried it 49.9% to 48.6% that year, and major forecasters now rate the race a toss-up or leaning Democratic. Barrett, a former Army helicopter pilot who served in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature, is endorsed by Trump. Lawrence, a first-time candidate and tenant organizer, is backed by the UAW, the state AFL-CIO and Vermont independent Bernie Sanders. Green Party candidate Shane Dedrick is also on the ballot.
Both major candidates have publicly called the level of spending excessive. The outcome could help decide control of the U.S. House, where Republicans hold a narrow majority heading into the Nov. 3 election.
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