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Where outside money is going in House and Senate general elections, which party it helps, and whether each party is defending its own seats or attacking the other side's. Every number is a sum of FEC filings.
A federal campaign is paid for by several kinds of organizations at once. Each has different rules on who can give, how much, whether it can work with the candidate, and when the public finds out. This page tracks all of them from FEC filings. Tap any or dotted-underlined term for a definition.
| Vehicle | Who can give, and how much | Can it work with the candidate? | How fast the public sees it | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate committee | Individuals $3,500 per election; PACs $5,000; no corporations or unions | It is the candidate | Quarterly reports; large gifts within 48 hours in the last 20 days | "Nominees raised" |
| Party committee | Limited contributions from individuals and PACs | Yes, through coordinated spending, now unlimited after NRSC v. FEC | Independent spending: 24/48 hours. Coordinated: only on regular reports, weeks later | "Party" |
| Super PAC | Anyone, unlimited: individuals, corporations, unions | No. It must stay independent | Spending: 24/48 hours. Donors: monthly or quarterly | "Outside" |
| Traditional PAC | $5,000 a year per individual | It can give to candidates; its independent spending can't be coordinated | Same as super PACs | "Outside" |
| 501(c) nonprofit | Anyone, unlimited, often undisclosed | No | Spending: 24/48 hours. Donors: usually never | "Outside" |
Parties used to do much of their spending as independent expenditures, which are reported within a day or two. Since the Supreme Court's June 2026 ruling in NRSC v. FEC, parties can spend without limit in coordination with their candidates. That spending shows up only on the party's regular reports. So party money can look like it's drying up when it's really moving somewhere that's reported later. The yellow banner at the top gives the date that coordinated-spending data runs through.
Outside groups and campaigns buy the same ads at different prices. Stations must sell candidates airtime at the lowest unit charge, while super PACs pay market rates that spike before Election Day. A party that routes support through its candidates, instead of through super PACs, looks weaker on outside-money charts than it really is. That's why each race shows the nominees' own fundraising beside outside money. Races where the two point in opposite directions carry a split tag.
| Money | Disclosed | Final-weeks gap |
|---|---|---|
| Outside spending (IEs) | Within 48 hours (at $10,000+), then within 24 hours from Oct. 15 (at $1,000+) | Almost none, which is why it's this tracker's backbone |
| Party coordinated spending | Monthly reports; pre-general report due Oct. 22 (through Oct. 14) | Oct. 15 onward isn't disclosed until Dec. 3 |
| Candidate fundraising | Quarterly (Q3 due Oct. 15); pre-general due Oct. 22 | Only 48-hour notices of gifts of $1,000+ from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1 |
| Super PAC donors | Monthly or quarterly | Late donors may not show up until after the election |
| Nonprofit donors | Usually never | — |
| Race | Helps Demsparty · outside | Helps Repsparty · outside | Nominees raisedD · R · cash on hand | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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