SEIU COPE (Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education)
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Labor union · Lobbyist/Registrant PAC
About
SEIU COPE (Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education) is a PAC connected to Service Employees International Union (a labor union), based in Washington, DC, and registered with the FEC in 1975. In 2026 it raised $87.6M, spent $1.6M on ads and other outreach for or against candidates and gave $11.2M directly to candidates. (from its FEC registration and reports)
- Type
- PAC · Lobbyist/Registrant PAC
- Connected organization
- Service Employees International Union (Labor union)
- Based in
- Washington, DC
- Treasurer
- Rocio Saenz
- Registered with the FEC
- March 4, 1975
- Website
- www.seiu.org
- FEC id
- C00004036 ↗
Foreign ties
No foreign tie is documented for this committee. We look for two things: whether a connected company is owned by a foreign parent, and whether the group or its leaders are registered as agents of a foreign government or entity (FARA). No U.S. committee can be a foreign country or take money from one.
Who funds it
Its biggest itemized sources of money in 2026, from its FEC reports. Gifts from individual people are added into one line; we don't publish private people's names.
| Source | Kind | Amount | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1199 Service Employees Int'l Union Federal Political Action Fund | Another PAC or party | $10.1M | 7 |
| Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union American Dream Political Action Fund | Another PAC or party | $909K | 1 |
| Workers United for Political Power Campaign Comm. | Another PAC or party | $400K | 34 |
| New York State Public Employees Federation-Cope | Another PAC or party | $303K | 42 |
| Southern Regional Joint Board | Company, union or group | $110K | 1 |
| Van Ness Creative Strategies | Company, union or group | $100K | 1 |
| Philadelphia Joint Board Political Action Committee | Another PAC or party | $7K | 12 |
| Rochester Regional Joint Board Political Education Committee | Another PAC or party | $4K | 2 |
Only gifts over $200 are itemized in reports; this list adds up the largest. All its receipts at the FEC ↗
By cycle
- Raised
- Spent
View the data as a table
| Cycle | Raised | Spent | Independent spending | To candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $50.3M | $55.3M | $8.6M | $6.9M |
| 2018 | $56.7M | $51.7M | $862K | $5.8M |
| 2020 | $65.5M | $75.4M | $11.4M | $26.0M |
| 2022 | $63.6M | $56.3M | $4.1M | $7.8M |
| 2024 | $74.5M | $78.3M | $6.9M | $28.9M |
| 2026 | $87.6M | $50.3M | $1.6M | $11.2M |
In 2026, in the races we could match: $138K for Democrats, $0 against Democrats, $0 for Republicans and $0 against Republicans.
Who it spent for and against in 2026
| Candidate | For / against | Spent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Pan (D-CA) | For | $49K | won |
| Jasmeet Bains | For | $49K | |
| Marni Von Wilpert (D-CA) | For | $49K | won |
| Aftyn Behn | For | $25K | |
| Kamala Harris | For | $22K | |
| Donavan Mckinney (D-MI) | For | $17K | won |
| Christopher Deluzio (D-PA) | For | $12K | won |
| Carl J. Marlinga | For | $7K | |
| Elissa Slotkin | For | $7K | |
| Ruben Gallego | For | $7K | |
| Amish Shah (D-AZ) | For | $7K | won |
| Robert P. Casey Jr | For | $5K | |
| Susan Wild | For | $4K | |
| Bob Brooks (D-PA) | For | $3K | won |
| Margaret Flanagan (D-MN) | For | $353 | won |
In 2024
| Candidate | For / against | Spent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamala Harris | For | $4.1M | |
| Donald J. Trump | Against | $1.1M | |
| Ruben Gallego | For | $154K | |
| Robert P. Casey Jr | For | $149K | |
| Jacky Rosen | For | $142K | |
| Jacky Rosen | For | $125K | |
| Angela Alsobrooks | For | $103K | |
| Bernie Moreno | Against | $90K | |
| Sherrod Brown | For | $90K | |
| Colin Allred | For | $72K | |
| Larry Hogan | Against | $53K | |
| Steven Alexzander Horsford | For | $49K | |
| Mandela Barnes | For | $49K | |
| Ron Harold Johnson | For | $48K | |
| George Whitesides | For | $43K | |
| Rudy Salas | For | $37K | |
| Kirsten Engel | For | $34K | |
| Janelle Stelson | For | $32K | |
| Matthew A. Cartwright | For | $32K | |
| Susan Wild | For | $32K | |
| R. Jon Tester | For | $31K | |
| David Valadao | Against | $29K | |
| Juan Ciscomani | Against | $28K | |
| Sam Brown | Against | $27K | |
| John Lee | Against | $17K | |
| Michael Garcia | Against | $17K | |
| John Karl Fetterman | For | $16K | |
| Ruben Gallego | For | $15K | |
| Dina Titus | For | $15K | |
| Lisa Blunt Rochester | For | $14K |
Its biggest direct contributions (2026)
- Strategic Victory Fund Ie PAC — $1.3M
- HMP — $1.0M
- For Our Future — $1.0M
- United We Can — $564K
- Battleground Alliance PAC — $500K
- In Union USA — $500K
- Casa in Action PAC — $200K
- DNC Services Corp / Democratic National Committee — $150K
- Together for Working People — $130K
- Fire House PAC — $100K
- Unidosus Action PAC — $100K
- Black Men Vote PAC — $75K
- Votar Es Poder PAC — $50K
- DCCC — $30K
- Commonwealth Together PAC — $25K
- Asian Americans for Change Fund — $20K
- Edw Action Fund — $20K
- Working Families Party PAC — $15K
- Analilia Mejia for New Jersey — $15K
- DSCC — $15K
- Jeff Merkley for Oregon — $10K
- Val Hoyle for Congress — $10K
- Aspire PAC — $10K
- Landsman for Congress — $10K
- Pallone for Congress — $10K
Questions and answers
What is SEIU COPE?
SEIU COPE is a PAC connected to Service Employees International Union (a labor union), based in Washington, DC, and registered with the FEC in 1975. In 2026 it raised $87.6M, spent $1.6M on ads and other outreach for or against candidates and gave $11.2M directly to candidates.
Who funds SEIU COPE?
According to its 2026 FEC reports, its biggest itemized sources were 1199 Service Employees Int'l Union Federal Political Action Fund ($10.1M), Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union American Dream Political Action Fund ($909K) and Workers United for Political Power Campaign Comm. ($400K).
How much did SEIU COPE spend in 2026?
It raised $87.6M and spent $50.3M in all, including $1.6M in independent spending for or against candidates and $11.2M given directly to candidates.
Who did SEIU COPE support or oppose in 2026?
In 2026, it spent the most for Richard Pan ($49K), Jasmeet Bains ($49K) and Marni Von Wilpert ($49K).
Does SEIU COPE have foreign ties?
None is documented. Federal law bars foreign governments, companies and people from giving or spending in U.S. elections or directing a PAC's spending.
The law: foreign money and PACs
- Foreign nationals (foreign governments, foreign companies, and people who aren't citizens or green-card holders) can't give or spend in any U.S. election, directly or through others, or make a PAC's decisions. FEC ↗ (52 U.S.C. 30121)
- A U.S. subsidiary of a foreign company may have a PAC, as long as only its U.S. employees fund it and only U.S. persons run it.
- A company or union PAC is funded by voluntary gifts from employees or members; the company may only pay its running costs. A super PAC can take unlimited money from companies, unions and people, but can't coordinate with candidates.
- Anyone who lobbies or does political work in the U.S. for a foreign government or entity must register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Justice Department ↗
- Can foreign countries donate to U.S. elections? →
All campaign money → · Its FEC filings ↗ · Money in politics
Source: FEC API. "For / against" is independent spending (ads, mail, calls) reported to the FEC; results come from our 2026 data. A backed candidate winning doesn't prove the spending decided the race. Updated: Nov 8, 12:57 AM ET.
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