Unless you live under a rock in the United States, you know that the midterm elections are coming soon.

And that’s no accident.

It’s the result of enormous spending from political candidates, special interest groups, and political parties to get the most attention in a tech-and-coverage-heavy environment.

Campaigns have spent over $6.4B on ads, surpassing the 2018 and 2020 election costs. That’s remarkable, considering 2020 was a general election, and there’s still over a month to go.

Nonpartisan ad tracker AdImpact estimates that the total spending will be around $9.7B.

It signals that people are more invested than ever in influencing the way people vote and that there are more significant stakes than ever in American history. In addition, the injection of wealthy candidates such as Dr. Mehmet Oz has turned it into a race of the elite.

As the country divides into very opposite factions, the battle for the country’s soul – Independents and swing voters – becomes life or death for political parties hoping to gain an edge in the coming elections.