Campaign money
Who funds congressional candidates, who spends on their own to help or sink them, and what they get for it. Official Federal Election Commission data only, updated daily. Background: money in politics →
Spotlight: AIPAC: United Democracy Project (super PAC) · AIPAC's PAC · Fairshake (crypto)
Where candidates' money comes from
All House and Senate candidates, by two-year cycle. Share of what these five sources add up to.
- Small donors (under $200)
- Larger individual gifts
- PACs
- Party committees
- Candidates' own money
View the data as a table
| Cycle | Small donors (under $200) | Larger individual gifts | PACs | Party committees | Candidates' own money | Total raised | Committees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $777.2M | $1.7B | $514.7M | $3.9M | $361.8M | $3.8B | 3,834 |
| 2026 | $835.3M | $1.7B | $495.8M | $4.6M | $421.7M | $4.0B | 4,326 |
Outside spending by cycle
What PACs and super PACs spent on their own for or against federal candidates (independent expenditures).
The biggest outside spenders (2025–26 cycle)
Tap a name for its profile: who it is, who funds it, any foreign ties, and what it spent on.
| # | Group | Spent | Helps D | Helps R | Got its way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLF PAC Super PAC | $248.2M | – | – | – |
| 2 | No Going Back PAC INC. Super PAC | $187.8M | – | – | – |
| 3 | Winsenate Super PAC | $167.3M | – | – | – |
| 4 | Texas PAC Super PAC | $148.3M | – | – | – |
| 5 | CLF Hybrid PAC | $138.1M | – | – | – |
| 6 | HMP Hybrid PAC | $118.1M | – | – | – |
| 7 | Defend American Jobs Super PAC | $88.3M | – | – | – |
| 8 | Americans for Prosperity Action, INC. (AFP Action) Dba Cva Action and Dba Libre Action Hybrid PAC | $64.9M | – | – | – |
| 9 | United Democracy Project ('UDP') Super PAC | $53.6M | – | – | – |
| 10 | America PAC Super PAC | $51.4M | – | – | – |
| 11 | Ab PAC Hybrid PAC | $41.1M | – | – | – |
| 12 | MAGA INC. Hybrid PAC | $36.3M | – | – | – |
| 13 | Texans for a Conservative Majority Super PAC | $35.4M | – | – | – |
| 14 | Lower Costs Now Super PAC | $32.7M | – | – | – |
| 15 | Protect Progress Super PAC | $29.2M | – | – | – |
| 16 | Lone Star Rising PAC Super PAC | $28.7M | – | – | – |
| 17 | Votevets Hybrid PAC | $28.1M | – | – | – |
| 18 | LCV Victory Fund Super PAC | $26.1M | – | – | – |
| 19 | Pine Tree Results PAC Super PAC | $25.6M | – | – | – |
| 20 | Fairshake Super PAC | $19.4M | – | – | – |
| 21 | Win It Back PAC Super PAC | $19.0M | – | – | – |
| 22 | Your Community PAC Super PAC | $18.9M | – | – | – |
| 23 | Think Big Super PAC | $18.5M | – | – | – |
| 24 | Jobs and Democracy PAC Super PAC | $17.9M | – | – | – |
| 25 | A Stronger Michigan Super PAC | $17.3M | – | – | – |
"Helps D" and "Helps R" only count 2026 races in our results where we could match the candidate; in primaries, spending against one Democrat may help another Democrat.
The PACs that give the most to candidates
Tap a name for its profile and who funds it.
| # | PAC | Kind | Given to candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Actblue | Hybrid PAC | $2.5B |
| 2 | Winred | Hybrid PAC | $890.3M |
| 3 | SLF PAC | Super PAC | $185.3M |
| 4 | Win for America | Super PAC | $77.5M |
| 5 | Restoration of America PAC | Super PAC | $70.2M |
| 6 | SMP | Super PAC | $61.3M |
| 7 | American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee | Membership group | $53.3M |
| 8 | Leading the Future | Super PAC | $47.0M |
| 9 | Democracy PAC | Super PAC | $42.5M |
| 10 | Conservative Americans PAC | Super PAC | $40.7M |
| 11 | Club for Growth Action | Super PAC | $26.0M |
| 12 | National Association of Realtors Congressional Fund | Super PAC | $22.1M |
| 13 | United Democracy Project ('UDP') | Super PAC | $13.1M |
| 14 | National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee | Membership group | $12.0M |
| 15 | SEIU COPE (Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education) | Labor union | $11.2M |
| 16 | Make America Great Again INC. | Super PAC | $10.6M |
| 17 | Working for Working Americans - Federal | Super PAC | $10.1M |
| 18 | Jstreetpac | Membership group | $9.0M |
| 19 | Laborers' International Union of North America (Liuna) PAC | Labor union | $8.5M |
| 20 | With Honor Fund II, INC. | Super PAC | $7.6M |
| 21 | Democracy PAC II | Super PAC | $7.0M |
| 22 | The Sentinel Action Fund | Super PAC | $6.9M |
| 23 | American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education | Labor union | $6.6M |
| 24 | NEA Advocacy Fund | Super PAC | $6.4M |
| 25 | American Conservative Fund | Super PAC | $6.0M |
Who took the most PAC money (2026)
| # | Candidate | From PACs | % of money raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. Brett Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2) | $3.4M | 56% |
| 2 | Jason T Smith (R-MO-8) | $3.3M | 53% |
| 3 | Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1) | $2.9M | 31% |
| 4 | Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) | $2.8M | 15% |
| 5 | Jon Husted (R-OH) | $2.7M | 14% |
| 6 | Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) | $2.7M | 33% |
| 7 | Ashley Hinson Arenholz (R-IA-2) | $2.7M | 19% |
| 8 | Thomas Earl Emmer Jr (R-MN-6) | $2.5M | 23% |
| 9 | Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33) | $2.5M | 44% |
| 10 | Garland Andy Barr (R-KY-6) | $2.5M | 20% |
| 11 | Michael Vincent Lawler (R-NY-17) | $2.5M | 24% |
| 12 | Mark Robert Warner (D-VA) | $2.5M | 12% |
| 13 | Mike Thompson (D-CA-4) | $2.4M | 45% |
| 14 | Ashley Moody (R-FL) | $2.4M | 17% |
| 15 | David Valadao (R-CA-22) | $2.3M | 36% |
| 16 | Dan Sullivan (R-AK) | $2.3M | 20% |
| 17 | Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2) | $2.2M | 55% |
| 18 | Steven Alexzander Horsford (D-NV-4) | $2.2M | 54% |
| 19 | Mike Carey (R-OH-15) | $2.2M | 52% |
| 20 | Zach Nunn (R-IA-3) | $2.2M | 36% |
| 21 | Katherine Clark (D-MA-5) | $2.1M | 42% |
| 22 | William P Huizenga (R-MI-4) | $2.1M | 38% |
| 23 | James Michael Johnson (R-LA-4) | $2.1M | 9% |
| 24 | Richard E Neal (D-MA-1) | $2.1M | 67% |
| 25 | Ben R Lujan (D-NM-3) | $2.1M | 32% |
In the spotlight
What the money buys, and what it doesn't
- Both parties rely on the same kinds of money: small donors, big donors, corporate and union PACs, and super PACs. What differs is the mix, and the tables above show it.
- Spending isn't winning: money tends to flow to whoever is already favored, so a high "got its way" rate doesn't prove the money decided the race.
- Outside spending matters most in primaries and open seats, where turnout and information are lower and one group can be the biggest advertiser.
- The effect studies document most is access: donors get meetings and attention, especially on technical issues the public doesn't follow.
Questions and answers
What is a super PAC?
A committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts for or against candidates, as long as it doesn't coordinate with their campaigns or give to them directly. They date from the 2010 Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions, and must report their donors and spending to the FEC.
How is a PAC different from a super PAC?
A traditional PAC (run by a company, union or group) can give directly to candidates, within per-election limits. A super PAC can't give to candidates, but can spend without limit on its own, mostly on ads.
Does money buy elections?
Not in a simple way. Candidates who are already likely to win attract more money, so spending more and winning go together without one causing the other. Money matters more in primaries and open seats than in general elections. Where studies see more effect is in access to lawmakers and on low-visibility, technical issues. See "Does money buy policy?" on our Money in politics page.
The most expensive 2026 races · Track your politicians · FEC data ↗
Source: Federal Election Commission API (OpenFEC). Funding sources: campaign committees of every House and Senate candidate; "small donors" are unitemized gifts (a donor's total of $200 or less). The current cycle is incomplete and changes with each filing. Updated: Nov 8, 12:08 AM ET.
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