Executive Summary: Key Findings
2026 cycle
tracked
major vendors
Political texting has become a nine-figure industry. By pulling FEC disbursement filings and filtering for SMS, texting, and peer-to-peer messaging vendors, we've assembled a detailed picture of what campaigns actually pay—and to whom.
The data reveals a market dominated by five major players that collectively control roughly two-thirds of all political texting revenue. Below that top tier, the landscape fragments quickly into specialized shops, each serving distinct niches of the political ecosystem. And for mid-tier campaigns spending $50K–$500K on texting, there's a significant price gap between what they're paying and what they could be paying.
The Top Vendors: Who's Making Money on Political Texting
We tracked 11 vendors that appear most frequently in FEC disbursement records with texting-related purpose descriptions. Here's what they earned in the 2026 cycle:
| Vendor | 2026 Cycle Revenue | Primary Clients |
|---|---|---|
| Mothership Strategies | ~$30M | Democratic PACs, House campaigns |
| Targeted Victory | ~$29M | Republican campaigns, national committees |
| Aisle 518 | ~$22M | Democratic Senate campaigns |
| Liftoff Campaigns | ~$12M | Progressive PACs, advocacy orgs |
| Middle Seat | ~$11M | Progressive candidates, digital-first campaigns |
| Message Digital | ~$10M | Voter turnout PACs |
| Switchboard | ~$10M | Cross-party P2P texting |
| Tatango | ~$6.5M | SMS fundraising, broadcast |
| DirectSND | ~$5.7M | Republican digital outreach |
| Grassroots Analytics | ~$4.5M | Data-driven targeting |
| Scale to Win | ~$2.4M | Progressive organizing, P2P |
The Big Five Control the Market
Mothership Strategies, Targeted Victory, Aisle 518, Liftoff Campaigns, and Middle Seat account for roughly $104 million—nearly 70% of tracked spending. If you're a campaign manager looking for a texting vendor, odds are you'll end up with one of these five unless you actively seek alternatives.
The partisan split is notable. Mothership Strategies, Aisle 518, Middle Seat, and Message Digital serve primarily Democratic clients. Targeted Victory and DirectSND lean Republican. Switchboard and Tatango work across the aisle. This means vendor selection is often driven by political relationships as much as pricing or technology.
Who's Spending the Most: Top Campaign Committees
Individual committee spending tells a story about which races and organizations prioritize texting as a primary voter contact channel. Here are the top spenders we identified:
| Committee | Texting Spend | Primary Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Ossoff for Senate | $10.6M | Aisle 518 |
| Progressive Turnout Project | $10.4M | Message Digital |
| End Citizens United | $4.97M | Liftoff Campaigns |
| Friends of Chris Murphy | $4.63M | Aisle 518 |
| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | $3.64M | Middle Seat |
| Congressional Black Caucus PAC | $3.52M | Liftoff Campaigns |
| Mark Kelly for Senate | $2.98M | Aisle 518 |
| Leaders We Deserve | $2.8M | Middle Seat |
| CHC BOLD PAC | $2.09M | Mothership Strategies |
Several patterns emerge. Senate campaigns and national PACs dominate the top of the spending chart—no surprise, given their massive voter universes and fundraising capacity. The Progressive Turnout Project's $10.4 million spend through Message Digital reflects the growing role of texting in non-candidate turnout operations. And Aisle 518's dominance among Democratic Senate campaigns (Ossoff, Murphy, Kelly) suggests strong vendor lock-in at the top tier.
Vendor Concentration Risk
When a single vendor handles $22 million in Senate texting, campaigns are exposed to concentration risk. If that one vendor has a deliverability problem, every campaign on it feels it at the same time. Diversifying vendors—or at least having a backup—is an underappreciated risk management strategy.
What Does Political Texting Actually Cost?
By dividing reported spending by estimated message volumes (based on vendor disclosures and industry benchmarks), we can approximate what campaigns actually pay per message:
| Vendor Tier | Typical Cost/Message | Includes Data? | Minimum Spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 vendors | $0.05–$0.08 | Sometimes | $25K–$100K+ |
| Mid-tier vendors | $0.04–$0.07 | Varies | $5K–$25K |
| Self-serve platforms | $0.03–$0.05 | No | None |
| VoterPing | $0.04 | Separate, $0.02/record | None |
The cost differences look small on a per-message basis, but they compound fast. A campaign sending 500,000 messages at $0.07 spends $35,000. The same campaign at $0.04 per message spends $20,000 on messages, plus voter data if it needs it (VoterPing charges $0.02 per record). The difference can fund additional voter contact, staff, or field operations.
The "includes data" column matters more than most campaigns realize. Major vendors often charge separately for voter file phone matching, which can add $0.01–$0.03 per record. When you factor in data costs, the effective per-message price at top vendors can climb to roughly $0.08–$0.11. Compare total cost, messages plus data, when you get quotes.
The Market Gap: Where Mid-Tier Campaigns Get Squeezed
The FEC data reveals a structural problem in the political texting market. The top vendors are optimized for high-spend clients—Senate campaigns, presidential committees, and national PACs that spend millions. They offer white-glove service, strategic consulting, and dedicated account managers. The price reflects that.
At the bottom, self-serve platforms serve smaller campaigns with basic tooling. Campaigns spending $50K–$500K on texting—the mid-tier—now face an awkward choice:
- Overpay for enterprise service they don't need at a top-5 vendor
- Cobble together a self-serve platform plus separate data provider plus compliance consulting
- Underspend on texting entirely and rely on less effective channels
This is the most price-sensitive segment of the market. A state legislative campaign, a city council race, a county party committee, or a mid-size PAC—these organizations need professional-grade texting with voter data, but they don't need a $100K minimum engagement or a team of strategists.
The Mid-Tier Gap
Smaller campaigns and PACs often need something between enterprise service and bare self-serve tools: easy to use, affordable, and with voter data available. That middle segment is underserved, which is a problem for the campaigns in it.
What the Smart Money Does
Campaigns that get the most out of texting tend to share a few habits: they start early (finishing Campaign Verify and 10DLC registration well before election day), they ask about volume pricing, and they compare total cost, including voter data, across vendors.
VoterPing was built specifically for this market gap. At $0.04 per message, with voter data at $0.02 per record and no monthly minimums, it's designed for the campaigns that the major vendors don't prioritize—but that still need to reach voters effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do political campaigns spend on texting?
In the 2026 election cycle, political campaigns and PACs spent over $150 million on texting services across the top vendors alone. Individual campaign spending ranges from under $10,000 for local races to over $10 million for major Senate campaigns and national PACs.
What is the average cost per political text message?
Major political texting vendors charge between $0.05 and $0.08 per message. Some platforms, including VoterPing, charge $0.04 per message, with voter data priced separately (VoterPing charges $0.02 per voter record).
Who are the biggest political texting vendors?
The top political texting vendors by 2026 FEC revenue are Mothership Strategies (~$30M), Targeted Victory (~$29M), Aisle 518 (~$22M), Liftoff Campaigns (~$12M), and Middle Seat (~$11M). Together, the top five vendors control roughly two-thirds of the market.
Which political campaigns spend the most on texting?
The biggest spenders in 2026 include Jon Ossoff for Senate ($10.6M via Aisle 518), Progressive Turnout Project ($10.4M via Message Digital), End Citizens United ($4.97M via Liftoff Campaigns), and Friends of Chris Murphy ($4.63M via Aisle 518).
Is political texting worth the investment for smaller campaigns?
Often, yes. Texting reaches voters directly on their phones at a low cost per contact. For campaigns spending $50K–$500K on texting, the key is finding a cost-effective vendor. VoterPing charges $0.04 per message and $0.02 per voter record, which puts texting within reach of down-ballot races and smaller PACs.
What does a political texting program cost with VoterPing?
VoterPing texting is from $0.04 per message, voter data from $0.02 per record, and the 10DLC campaign verification service is $150, which includes Campaign Verify's $95 fee. Robocalls are from $0.02 per contact and ringless voicemail from $0.015 per contact. Your quote shows exact counts for your list.