Kathmandu. The midterm elections that will determine the political direction of US President Donald Trump’s remaining two years in office will be held on November 3. Political advertising is estimated to cost about $12 billion in elections for both houses of Congress, governors of 36 states, and thousands of state-level positions.

Of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 218 seats are needed for a majority. Currently, Republicans have 218 seats and Democrats have 214 seats. Democrats will have to gain at least three seats for a majority. Elections are also being held for 35 seats in the Senate. Currently, Republicans have 53 seats and Democrats have 47 seats, including two independents. Democrats will have to take control of the Senate.

Polls show Democrats leading nationally. Polls by PBS News, NPR and Marist showed Democrats with 53 percent support and Republicans with 41 percent. The approval rate for Trump’s performance has been 32 percent to 41 percent, according to various surveys. In an NBC News poll, 55 percent said his policies were hurting the economy and 26 percent supported it.

Ad Impact, an ad monitoring company, expects advertising spending to reach $11.6 billion this election cycle. Kinetic Political Insights estimates $11.96 billion. In the 2022 midterm elections, $8.9 billion was spent. In the primary election for governor of California alone, $330 million was spent on advertising.

This year, 2,497 candidates participated in the Congress primary. In the 44 contests for the House of Representatives, candidates from the major parties are fighting again in 2024. Including the state and local elections, there are 474 such contests across the country.