Waiting until the final weeks to run radio ads may be costing political campaigns real influence. New research from Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial primary ties sustained AM/FM advertising to stronger voter recall and support months before the ballots were counted. The analysis from Katz Radio Group, drawing on Media Monitors data, found that Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson began running radio ads in February, more than two months before the state’s May 19 primary and before official political advertising windows even opened. To measure the impact, Katz surveyed 400 Georgia primary voters in July, after the primary and its runoff had concluded. Nearly eight in ten respondents, 78.3%, said Jackson’s radio advertising helped them learn about his campaign, and 42.5% said it helped “a great deal.”