Transparency Report
Why Political Money
Is Hard to Track
The campaign finance data on this site reflects only what candidates are legally required to disclose. A large — and growing — portion of political spending is deliberately shielded from public view through a patchwork of legal structures. Here is how it works.
Tracked Outside Spending — 2026 Cycle
FEC data · Updated periodically1,989
Outside spending committees tracked
$55.2M
Total outside spending tracked (2026 cycle)
17
Organizations spending $1M or more
200 organizations · FEC Schedule E data · 2026 cycle
LOUISIANA FREEDOM FUND
$6.2M
total
OHIO FLYER PAC
$4.9M
total
PROJECT 2026
$4.7M
total
AMERICANS 4 SECURITY PAC
$4.5M
total
DEFEATING COMMUNISM PAC
$3.9M
total
ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT INC
LA
$3.5M
total
ELECT DEMOCRATIC WOMEN
$3.3M
total
EDW ACTION FUND
$3.3M
total
GOPAC ELECTION FUND
$2.5M
total
314 ACTION FUND
DC
$2.2M
total
WOMEN VOTE
$2.1M
total
BDA PAC
$1.8M
total
SECURITY IS STRENGTH PAC
$1.3M
total
AMERIPAC: THE FUND FOR A GREATER AMERICA
$1.3M
total
PROTECT PROGRESS
$1.3M
total
KENTUCKY FIRST ACTION
$1.2M
total
ISSUE ONE ACTION
$1.1M
total
WORKING FAMILIES PARTY PAC
$825K
total
SENATE CONSERVATIVES FUND
$673K
total
NEW LEADERSHIP NOW
$606K
total
SENATE CONSERVATIVES ACTION
$594K
total
STRONGER TOGETHER PA
$506K
total
BUILDING A STRONG AMERICA
$454K
total
KENTUCKY 4TH PAC
$436K
total
PROTECT AND SERVE PAC
$274K
total
PATRIOTIC FUND, INC.
$263K
total
DEFENDING AMERICA'S FUTURE
$259K
total
RED BRIDGE LEADERSHIP PAC
$255K
total
PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS PAC
$220K
total
LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR A SAFER AMERICA PAC
$220K
total
LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
$193K
total
KY PAC
$174K
total
KEEP AMERICA GREAT PAC, INC.
$168K
total
SERVING CA
$121K
total
CONSERVATIVE FUTURE FUND
$69K
total
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION
$51K
total
WASHINGTON RISING INC.
$44K
total
ARKANSANS FOR DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE
$4K
total
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
$2K
total
WIN IT BACK PAC
$2K
total
ALABAMA FREEDOM FUND
DC
$2K
total
:
MA
$0
total
007 GO GODWIN COMMITTEE
VA
$0
total
10000 LAKES PAC
MN
$0
total
10,000 LAKES VICTORY 2014
DC
$0
total
1000 WOMEN STRONG PAC
FL
$0
total
100-40 PAC
VA
$0
total
100 BLACK MEN OF NEW JERSEY INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NJ
$0
total
100 PRO LIFE PAC
PA
$0
total
1031 PAC
DC
$0
total
10 ^ 9+
CA
$0
total
10 PUSH UPS PAC
GA
$0
total
10TH CD VICTORY FUND
VA
$0
total
10TH CONG DEMOCRATIC WOMEN POLITICAL ACTION FUND
IL
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DELEGATES FOR BOB DOLE
IL
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
NY
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC ACTION COMM OF OHIO
OH
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC COMM
MI
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP CAUCUS
CA
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
PA
$0
total
10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT VICTORY FUND - FEDERAL
IL
$0
total
10TH CONRESSIONAL DISTRICT CARTER DELEGATE CANDIDATES COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
10TH CONSTITUTION PAC
MA
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRAT ACTION CLUB
OH
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT COUNCIL
MA
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT DELEGATE COMMITTEE FOR MIKE DUKAKIS
NJ
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
10TH DISTRICT REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
VA
$0
total
10X CALIFORNIA
CA
$0
total
10X THE VOTE
DC
$0
total
11/06/18 VICTORY FUND
MS
$0
total
1106 FUND
DC
$0
total
115TH FRESHMEN VICTORY
VA
$0
total
1199 SEIU NEW YORK STATE POLITICAL ACTION FUND
NY
$0
total
1199SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST
NY
$0
total
1199 SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION FUND
NY
$0
total
1199 SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST HOME CARE POLITICAL ACTION FUND
NY
$0
total
11 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS TEA PARTY PAC
IL
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
PA
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DIST CARTER DELEGATES
IL
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CHAIRMAN
NC
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
CA
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE - FEDERAL
VA
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN FINANCE COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN PARTY
NC
$0
total
11TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
11TH DISTRICT NORTH CAROLINA YOUNG DEMOCRATS
NC
$0
total
1200 COMMITTEE - THE FIDELITY BANK
PA
$0
total
1245 FOUNDATION; THE
VA
$0
total
12FE4M5
CA
$0
total
12KF12 (TWELVE K F TWELVE)
NY
$0
total
12TH C D REPUBLICAN DELEGATE COMMITTEE
NY
$0
total
12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CARTER DELEGATE CANDIDATES COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS WOMEN'S REPUBLICAN CLUB
IL
$0
total
12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
12TH DIST IND COMM FOR RONALD REAGAN
MI
$0
total
12TH DISTRICT CITIZENS PARTY (PCC FOR TED KUHN)
IL
$0
total
12TH DISTRICT COMMITTEE FOR A NEW CONGRESSMAN-ROB HUTH CHAIRMAN
MI
$0
total
1984 SAN FRANCISCO DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION HOST COMMITTEE
CA
$0
total
1984 SOCIALIST WORKERS CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
OH
$0
total
1984 SOCIALIST WORKERS CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE--WEST VIRGINIA
WV
$0
total
1984 VICTORY FUND (FORMERLY 1982 VICTORY FUND)
NY
$0
total
2000 REP H/S DINNER NON FED INDIVIDUAL
$0
total
2000 REP H/S DINNER NON FED PAC
$0
total
2000 REP H/S DINNER NON FED TRUST
$0
total
2000 REPUBLICAN HOUSE-SENATE DINNER COMMITTEE; THE
MD
$0
total
2001 PRESIDENT'S DINNER COMMITTEE
MD
$0
total
2001 PRESIDENT'S DINNER - NON-FEDERAL BUILDING FUND
$0
total
2004 MAJORITY FUND
DC
$0
total
12TH DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
12TH DISTRICT VOTERS EDUCATION COMMITTEE
NC
$0
total
12TH GOP FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FUND
MI
$0
total
13TH C.D. COMMITTEE; THE
VA
$0
total
13TH COLONY LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE INC
GA
$0
total
13TH CONG DIST REPUBLICAN PARTY
NC
$0
total
13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
MI
$0
total
13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DELEGATE COMMITTEE FOR WALTER F MONDALE
IL
$0
total
13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DELEGATE DOLE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATION
MI
$0
total
13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
14TH C D FOR MONDALE
FL
$0
total
"14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT GOP CLUB"
IL
$0
total
14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUB COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
14TH DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
14TH DISTRICT DELEGATE COMMITTEE FOR MONDALE
IL
$0
total
14TH DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
TX
$0
total
14TH DISTRIST CARTER/MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
150PAC.ORG
MD
$0
total
15104; THE
PA
$0
total
155 ACTION FUND
PA
$0
total
15TH AMENDMENT EMPOWERMENT FUND
PA
$0
total
15TH C D DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
PA
$0
total
15TH C D DOLE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
15TH CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT
MI
$0
total
15TH DISTRICT COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
15TH DISTRICT DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
IL
$0
total
15TH DISTRICT DELEGATES FOR MONDALE COMM
MI
$0
total
15TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC UNITY FUND
IL
$0
total
1619 COALITION FOR AMERICA
CA
$0
total
1619 PAC
PA
$0
total
1636 PAC
VA
$0
total
16TH AD DEMOCRATS
CA
$0
total
16TH C D DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
NY
$0
total
16TH CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT FEDERAL FUND
MI
$0
total
16TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC PARTY
MI
$0
total
16TH DELEGATES FOR MONDALE
IL
$0
total
170 FREEDOM MILWAUKEE 2024 HOST COMMITTEE INC
WI
$0
total
17 11 JE 2060 FOR JOHNNIE CAMPBELL
IA
$0
total
1776 COMMITTEE
TX
$0
total
1776 FREEDOM'S CALLING
PA
$0
total
1776 LEADERSHIP FUND
PA
$0
total
1776 LIBERTY PAC
DC
$0
total
1776 NEW RESTORED REPUBLIC, OF,BY,& FOR,WE THE PEOPLE US
CA
$0
total
1776 PATRIOTS UNITED
GA
$0
total
1776 POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (1776 PAC) 1776 CHALLENGE
TX
$0
total
1776 RESTORED REPUBLIC USA CONSTITUTION COMMON LAW JURISDICTION
CA
$0
total
1776 R. LANCASTER FOR PRESIDENT
CO
$0
total
1787 FUND
AL
$0
total
1787 NATIONAL COMMITTEE INC
NY
$0
total
1788 PAC
WI
$0
total
1789 PROJECT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
VA
$0
total
17TH CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE - N.Y.
NY
$0
total
17TH DISTRICT MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
OH
$0
total
17TH DISTRICT VICTORY FUND
IL
$0
total
17TH DISTRICT YOUNG DEMOCRATIC PARTY
MI
$0
total
1-800 CONTACTS, INC. PAC
UT
$0
total
1803 PAC
VA
$0
total
1816 GROUP; THE
IN
$0
total
1818 PAC
TX
$0
total
1820 PAC
WI
$0
total
18-24
MD
$0
total
18-29 PAC
OH
$0
total
1837 PAC
DE
$0
total
1848 PAC
WI
$0
total
1854 FUND OF THE FOND DU LAC BAND OF LAKE SUPERIOR CHIPPEWA
MN
$0
total
1859 PAC
MA
$0
total
1863 PAC INC
VA
$0
total
1865 COLLECTIVE PAC
CA
$0
total
1865 FEDERAL
AZ
$0
total
1865 PAC
IL
$0
total
1874 GEORGINA THOMAS ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR
TN
$0
total
1889 PAC
TX
$0
total
1890 PAC
WY
$0
total
18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CARTER/MONDALE DELEGATE COMMITTEE
IL
$0
total
18TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
MI
$0
total
18TH DISTRICT REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMIITTEE (FEDERAL ACCOUNT)
IL
$0
total
1900 CLUB
OH
$0
total
1907 PAC
VA
$0
total
1911 UNITED
DC
$0
total
1912 PAC
VA
$0
total
1958 PAC
TX
$0
total
1959 PAC
TX
$0
total
1972 CAMPAIGN LIQUIDATION TRUST (NIXON 1972 COMMITTEE)
VA
$0
total
1974 HORNE FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
VA
$0
total
1976 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE,INC (COMPLIANCE FUND)
GA
$0
total
1976 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE, INC. (PCC-1976 GENERAL ELECTION)
GA
$0
total
1976 RAPP FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
IA
$0
total
1976 UNITED STATES PARTY ELECTION COMM.
CO
$0
total
1978 BARNARD FOR CONGRESS CMTE FOR D.D. BARNARD JR.
GA
$0
total
Source: FEC Schedule E independent expenditure reports · 2026 cycle · Organization type classification in progress
$4.5B+
Total outside spending in the 2024 federal election cycle
$1B+
Estimated dark money spending in 2020 — likely an undercount
3–3
FEC enforcement votes that deadlock, resulting in no action
The Short Version
When a candidate reports raising $10 million, that tells you what went into their official campaign account. It does not tell you how much was spent on their behalf by outside groups — super PACs, nonprofits, and trade associations — whose money never passes through the campaign and is often untraceable to its original source.
Think of it like an iceberg. The campaign finance filings you see here are the part above water. What sits below — independent expenditures, dark money, LLC conduits — can dwarf it, and most of it is either disclosed only partially or not at all.
Super PACs
Est. scale
$2.3B+ / cycle
A Super PAC is an outside political committee that can raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, and individuals and spend them on elections — as long as it does not coordinate directly with the candidate's campaign. That last clause, “does not coordinate,” is the entire legal hook. The Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC established that outside spending is a form of protected free speech, so it cannot be capped.
Super PACs must register with the FEC and report their spending, so we know roughly how much they spend and on what. What they don't have to reveal clearly is where their own money comes from — because they are often funded by the next item on this list.
501(c)(4) "Dark Money" Organizations
Est. scale
$1B+ / cycle
Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code designates “social welfare” nonprofits. Unlike campaigns and super PACs, these organizations are not required to disclose their donors to the public — ever. They can run political ads, fund voter mobilization drives, and donate directly to super PACs, as long as politics is not their “primary purpose.”
The IRS interprets “primary purpose” to mean political activity should be less than roughly 50% of the organization's work. Organizations self-report this, and the IRS rarely audits political nonprofits. An ad that criticizes a candidate on their policy record the week before an election is typically classified as “issue education,” not political activity — keeping it below the threshold on paper.
The result: a donor can write a check to a 501(c)(4), which funds a super PAC, which runs ads for or against a candidate. The super PAC discloses the 501(c)(4) as the donor. The 501(c)(4) discloses no one. The human origin of the money disappears.
LLC and Shell Company Conduits
Super PACs are required to disclose their donors, but the donor of record can itself be an LLC or shell company with no public ownership information. An individual — or a corporation — can set up a single-purpose LLC, deposit money into it, and have the LLC donate to a super PAC. The super PAC reports the LLC. The LLC reports nothing.
The Corporate Transparency Act (2024) now requires LLCs to file beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), but that registry is not public — it is available only to law enforcement. The chain from human to super PAC can still be broken at the LLC layer for any practical transparency purpose.
Trade Associations — 501(c)(6)
Est. scale
$100M+ / cycle
Business leagues and trade associations — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest example — operate under Section 501(c)(6). They face no primary-purpose test for political activity and no donor disclosure requirements. A corporation can write a fully deductible check to its industry's trade association as a business expense, and that money can be used for political advertising without the corporation ever appearing in a public filing.
The Chamber of Commerce alone spent over $100 million per election cycle in its peak years. Its member list is not public.
The SEC Disclosure Gap
Publicly traded companies must disclose “material” information to shareholders under federal securities law. Political spending has never been deemed material for this purpose. In 2011, over 1,200 corporate law professors petitioned the SEC to require companies to disclose political spending to investors. The SEC added it to its agenda, then dropped it. No mandatory rule has ever been finalized.
The legal framing is that political spending is “incidental” to a corporation's business — analogous to other routine operational costs — and therefore below the threshold that triggers disclosure obligations. Shareholders have no federally enforceable right to know how their company is spending money on politics.
Roughly half of S&P 500 companies have adopted voluntary disclosure policies, tracked by the Center for Political Accountability. Depth and consistency vary widely; no mandatory standard exists.
FEC Enforcement Paralysis
The Federal Election Commission has six members — no more than three from either party. Enforcement actions require four votes. Since roughly 2008, the Commission has deadlocked 3–3 on a significant share of enforcement matters, particularly high-profile ones. A deadlocked vote means no action is taken. Apparent violations — including coordination between campaigns and super PACs, and LLC conduit donations — are routinely dismissed this way.
This is not a bug in the system — the bipartisan structure was intentional, designed to prevent weaponized enforcement. But the practical effect is that the agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance law frequently cannot enforce it. The Justice Department can prosecute willful criminal violations, but rarely does so in civil disclosure cases.
What We Can Show You
Despite these gaps, there is meaningful public data — and we surface it where we can on candidate profiles.
Campaign committee contributions
All money raised and spent by the candidate's official campaign committee, broken down by source type (individuals, PACs, party transfers). Filed with and published by the FEC.
Itemized individual donations ≥$200
Donor name, employer, occupation, city, amount, and date for every contribution above the itemization threshold. Filed as FEC Schedule A.
Independent expenditures by super PACs
Registered super PACs must report spending for or against specific candidates. We show this where FEC data is available for the 2026 cycle.
501(c)(4) dark money donors
Not disclosed. The organization's total spending may be visible in FEC filings if they make direct independent expenditures, but donor identities are protected.
LLC / shell company donors
The LLC name appears in super PAC filings, but the human or corporation behind it is not publicly identifiable.
Corporate political spending via trade associations
Not disclosed at the member level. The trade association's own spending may appear in FEC reports, but which corporations funded it does not.
Sources & Further Reading
- OpenSecrets (opensecrets.org) — Outside spending totals, super PAC filings, dark money database
- FEC.gov — EFTS filing database, Schedule E independent expenditure reports, enforcement records
- Brennan Center for Justice — Dark money and campaign finance reform analyses
- Center for Political Accountability (politicalaccountability.net) — Corporate disclosure benchmarking (Zicklin Index)
- Campaign Legal Center (campaignlegalcenter.org) — FEC dysfunction documentation and enforcement tracker
- FollowTheMoney.org — State-level disclosure aggregation
- Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010)
- SpeechNow.org v. FEC, 599 F.3d 686 (D.C. Cir. 2010)