- Introduction
-
Federal Election Spending
- Summary
- By Group
- Super PACs
- Carey Committees
- Single-Candidate Super PACs
- Outspending Candidates
- By Race
- By Candidate
- Spending by Cycle
- Spenders' Industries
- Corporate Contributions
- Reporting Rules
-
Donors
- Top Donors
- Donor Industries
- Donor Stats
-
Dark Money Groups
- Dark Money Primer
- Summary
- Top Election Spenders
- Political Spending Percentages
- Top Donors
- Top Grant Recipients
- Politicization Recipients
- By Candidate
- By Race
- Nonprofit Data Search
- Disclosure
- Shadow Money Trail
- Mailbag
- Methodology
- FAQ
Outside Spending
A January 2010 Supreme Court decision (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission) permits corporations and unions to make political expenditures from their treasuries directly and through other organizations, as long as the spending -- often in the form of TV ads -- is done independently of any candidate. In many cases, the activity takes place without complete or immediate disclosure about who is funding it, preventing voters from understanding who is truly behind many political messages. The spending figures cited are what the groups reported to the FEC; it does not account for all the money the groups spent, since certain kinds of ads are not required to be reported. See more on the reporting rules regarding outside spending.
Total by Type of Spender, 2024
| Type of Group | Total Spent | # of Groups Registered | # of Groups Spending to date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super PACs | $293,556,353 | 2,082 | 209 |
| Social Welfare 501(c)(4) | $4,764,425 | N/A | 16 |
| Trade Assns 501(c)(6) | $311,302 | N/A | 4 |
| Unions 501(c)(5) | $57,282 | N/A | 1 |
| Parties | $4,282,666 | 145 | 3 |
| Other (corporations, individual people, other groups, etc) | $201,918,041 | 897 | 92 |
| Grand Total | $504,890,069 | 3,189 | 325 |
| Organization | Total | View | Independent Expenditures | Elec Comm | Super PAC | 527s† | 501c |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFA Fund | $80,969,803 | C | $80,969,803 | $0 | |||
| Americans for Prosperity | $58,317,103 | C | $58,317,103 | $0 | x | ||
| Make America Great Again Inc | $51,321,337 | C | $51,321,337 | $0 | x | ||
| Never Back Down Inc | $37,762,958 | C | $37,762,958 | $0 | x | ||
| Fairshake PAC | $21,956,940 | X | $21,956,940 | $0 | x | ||
| Best of America PAC | $19,009,954 | C | $19,009,954 | $0 | x | ||
| Club for Growth | $17,327,015 | C | $17,327,015 | $0 | x | x | |
| Trust In the Mission PAC | $14,980,825 | C | $14,980,825 | $0 | |||
| Congressional Leadership Fund | $10,635,764 | C | $10,635,764 | $0 | |||
| Fight Right Inc | $10,553,440 | C | $10,553,440 | $0 | x |
VIEW ALL GROUPS
* C = Conservative, L = Liberal
† Indicates that this organization has a 527 committee registered with the IRS. The committee's 527 spending outside of electioneering communications is NOT included in these totals. Read more about 527s.
| Race | Total | For Dems | Against Dems | For Repubs | Against Repubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential | $331,667,924 | $8,046,848 | $22,166,702 | $190,544,893 | $101,478,457 |
| Ohio Senate | $27,794,571 | $847,722 | $532,497 | $9,906,358 | $16,415,494 |
| California Senate | $21,296,136 | $2,032,678 | $10,044,813 | $0 | $9,218,645 |
| New York District 3 | $16,953,991 | $3,441,451 | $6,501,957 | $625,316 | $6,385,267 |
| Montana Senate | $8,208,366 | $28,401 | $571,500 | $6,388,652 | $1,219,813 |
| West Virginia Senate | $7,389,177 | $0 | $0 | $4,576,457 | $2,812,720 |
| California District 47 | $6,277,288 | $1,493,345 | $4,757,112 | $26,831 | $0 |
| Utah Senate | $4,938,128 | $0 | $0 | $4,817,940 | $120,188 |
| Wisconsin Senate | $3,565,825 | $29,948 | $516,469 | $473,878 | $2,545,530 |
| Indiana Senate | $3,543,104 | $0 | $0 | $3,543,104 | $0 |
| Candidate | Race | Total | For Dems | Against Dems | For Repubs | Against Repubs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haley, Nikki (R) | PRES | $110,054,813 | $0 | $0 | $85,343,483 | $24,711,330 | Lost in primary |
| DeSantis, Ron (R) | PRES | $84,259,215 | $0 | $0 | $36,998,717 | $47,250,498 | Lost in primary |
| Trump, Donald (R) | PRES | $41,396,317 | $0 | $0 | $12,015,892 | $29,307,864 | Active Candidate |
| Biden, Joe (D) | PRES | $27,056,713 | $4,100,265 | $22,166,702 | $0 | $0 | Active Candidate |
| Burgum, Doug (R) | PRES | $18,726,811 | $0 | $0 | $18,724,022 | $2,789 | Lost in primary |
| Scott, Tim(R) | PRES | $16,530,651 | $0 | $0 | $16,498,592 | $32,059 | Active Candidate |
| Moreno, Bernie (R) | OHS1 | $12,767,022 | $0 | $0 | $3,527,627 | $9,209,895 | Active Candidate |
| Porter, Katie(D) | CAS2 | $10,537,426 | $492,613 | $10,044,813 | $0 | $0 | Lost in primary |
| Suozzi, Tom(D) | NY03 | $9,943,408 | $3,441,451 | $6,501,957 | $0 | $0 | Active Candidate |
| Garvey, Steve (R) | CAS2 | $9,172,435 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $9,172,435 | Active Candidate |
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