Scoop: National Democrats and Republicans squeeze local TV stations in ad rate war

National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local TV stations to respond in opposite ways to a new federal court ruling on political ad rates, Axios has learned. Why it matters: How they respond will have a major impact on the fight for control of Congress by deciding which party's ad money goes further in the final stretch of the 2026 midterms . The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals this week overturned an FCC rule extending discounted ad rates for individual congressional campaigns to politic