How Campaigns Use Meta Platforms to Pinpoint Voters by Interests and Demographics

Campaigns are shifting from TV spots and mailed flyers to precision advertising on Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, using the public Ad Library to fine-tune outreach. Data shows Michigan Senate contenders Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed spent over $202,000 and $1.5 million respectively, with El-Sayed targeting listeners of one outlet’s "All Things Considered" and fans of Middle Eastern cuisine. In Maine, former candidate Graham Platner poured more than $3 million into ads, later replaced by Troy Jackson, whose messaging highlights charity, renewable energy and local issues.

Republican incumbent Susan Collins directs her ads toward older demographics interested in hunting, the NFL and personal finance, while Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and challenger Mike Collins split their spend between women over 65 and men aged 45-64. Experts say the approach is a digital evolution of age-old voter-targeting tactics, allowing campaigns to meet voters where they spend most of their time online.