OpenX is offering political campaigns prioritised access to curated, pre-approved ad inventory across connected TV and other screens ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with the company saying campaigns can be live within 24 hours of activation.
The service is designed around two problems that have made programmatic political advertising increasingly difficult: volatile CPMs during high-competition election periods, and shrinking access to premium CTV inventory as publishers restrict automated political buying. OpenX is responding with direct publisher supply across all formats, removing the intermediary steps that drive path duplication and price instability.
What the inventory looks like
The offering guarantees placements across a set of pre-vetted publishers, including Newsweek, Plex, Scripps and Xumo. Campaigns access the inventory through turnkey bundles that integrate with demand-side platforms such as Basis, IQM and StackAdapt.
Targeting operates at the ZIP-code level across formats, and measurement is localised by county, designated market area and ZIP code, giving campaigns the geographic granularity that contested-district spending requires.
Automated creative compliance tools are included to reduce the turnaround friction that typically slows political campaign launches, which matters when news cycles compress decision timelines.
The values-based targeting angle
The more novel element is a targeting layer built on data from Givsly, which uses aggregated volunteering and donation activity to identify what it calls values-aligned geographies. The idea is to move beyond party registration files and reach voters based on behavioural signals that reflect priorities rather than historic affiliation.
"As voter traits outside of traditional Republican versus Democrat become increasingly unpredictable, values-based signals will drive political advertising success," said Chad Hickey, Givsly's founder and CEO.
The pitch reflects a broader shift in political media buying toward audience construction that does not depend solely on voter file data, which has become less predictive as party identification loosens in competitive districts.
The supply argument
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OpenX is making a direct access claim rather than a targeting claim as its primary differentiator. "As publishers limit automated political buying, access to premium inventory is finite," said Amanda Forrester, SVP of marketing and communications at OpenX. The company says it is the only platform offering all-direct publisher supply across all format including CTV, combined with a values-based targeting approach.
Whether that claim holds through the midterm period depends on how quickly supply tightens as spending accelerates. The 2026 cycle is expected to draw significant digital ad investment in competitive House and Senate races, and the campaigns most likely to pay for guaranteed premium access are those operating in the districts where inventory pressure will be highest.
The recap
- OpenX offers prioritised, politically approved inventory for the 2026 midterms.
- Partnership with Givsly supplies aggregated volunteering and donation signals.
- Campaigns can activate ZIP-code targeting and go live within 24 hours.