In Final Surge of Vast Midterm Spending, Parties Make Last-Ditch Appeals NYT - Top Stories By: Theodore Schleifer and Matt Zdun 23 October 2026 at 10:03 A remarkable $1.4 billion worth of political ads are scheduled to air over the final two weeks as the parties fight for control of Congress. © Callaghan O'Hare for The New York TimesJames Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, spent more than $22 million from his campaign account in the first two weeks of October, the most of any candidate in a competitive race.