Follow the money

The people who actually paid for 2020

Super PACs are just envelopes. This is who filled them. Every person, company, nonprofit and PAC that gave at least $250K to the outside spenders is here, with their money traced through each group to the candidates it was spent for or against. A dollar counts as a win when the group that got it spent it on the winning side.

Traced to named donors

$2.57B

400 donors of $250K or more

From the 10 biggest individuals

$732M

23% of all outside spending

Dark money

$232M

From nonprofits that hide their donors

Rich individuals

236

gave $1.50B between them

Where the big money came from

Share of traced donor money by who wrote the cheque.
Individual
$1.50B (58%)
Another PAC
$448M (17%)
Company / nonprofit
$370M (14%)
Dark money
$232M (9%)
Company
$21M (1%)

Where the trail ends

The dark money, and what the IRS knows about it

Nonprofits that gave to the super PACs. Their IRS filings show how much they raise and spend; the donors stay blank by design.
GroupGave to super PACsLatest 990 revenueSpent that year
Future Forward USA Action501(c)(4) social welfare group$61M$66M (2022)$62M
Majority Forward501(c)(4) social welfare group$61M$28M (2018)$9.7M
Sixteen Thirty Fund501(c)(4) social welfare group$47M$181M (2023)$141M
American Action Network501(c)(4) social welfare group$30M$46M (2023)$66M
One Nation501(c)(4) social welfare group$22M$67M (2023)$14M
House Majority Forward501(c)(4) social welfare group$8.0M$22M (2023)$19M
Center Forward501(c)(4) social welfare group$3.0M$13M (2023)$12M

400 donors

✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Result not matched
400 shown
DonorGaveHelpedWinning sideVerdict
Senate Leadership FundAnother PAC

VA

$167M96% GOP
38%
Mixed
Michael BloombergIndividual

Bloomberg LP · NY

$142M100% Dem
78%
Winner
Miriam AdelsonIndividual

Las Vegas Sands · NV

$108M99% GOP
35%
Loser
Sheldon AdelsonIndividual

Las Vegas Sands (died 2021) · NV

$108M99% GOP
35%
Loser
Timothy MellonIndividual

Banking heir (Mellon family) · WY

$70M99% GOP
46%
Mixed
Senate Majority PAC (SMP)Another PAC

DC

$65M96% Dem
81%
Winner
Richard UihleinIndividual

Uline · IL

$65M92% GOP
28%
Loser
Ken GriffinIndividual

Citadel · IL

$63M98% GOP
52%
Mixed
Future Forward USA ActionDark money

DC

$61M100% Dem
89%
Winner
Majority ForwardDark money

DC

$61M100% Dem
37%
Mixed
America VotesCompany / nonprofit

DC

$52M100% Dem
72%
Winner
Tom SteyerIndividual

Investor · CA

$52M100% Dem
90%
Winner
Dustin MoskovitzIndividual

Asana / Facebook co-founder · CA

$50M100% Dem
85%
Winner
Sixteen Thirty FundDark money

DC

$47M100% Dem
73%
Winner
Stephen SchwarzmanIndividual

Blackstone · NY

$44M98% GOP
53%
Mixed
Priorities USACompany / nonprofit

DC

$34M100% Dem
86%
Winner
Jeff YassIndividual

Susquehanna International Group · PA

$30M84% GOP
50%
Mixed
American Action NetworkDark money

DC

$30M100% GOP
84%
Winner
Duty and HonorCompany / nonprofit

DC

$26M100% Dem
29%
Loser
One NationDark money

VA

$22M97% GOP
56%
Mixed
Democracy PACAnother PAC

DC

$22M100% Dem
72%
Winner
America First Policies, Inc.Company / nonprofit

VA

$22M100% GOP
0%
Loser
James SimonsIndividual

Renaissance Technologies · NY

$22M100% Dem
52%
Mixed
Bernie MarcusIndividual

Home Depot co-founder · GA

$20M97% GOP
26%
Loser
Karla JurvetsonIndividual

Self Employed · CA

$19M100% Dem
77%
Winner
Linda McmahonIndividual

America First Action, Inc · CT

$18M99% GOP
6%
Loser
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, IncCompany / nonprofit

NY

$16M100% Dem
60%
Mixed
League of Conservation Voters, Inc.Company / nonprofit

DC

$16M100% Dem
50%
Mixed
Deborah SimonIndividual

Self-Employed · IN

$14M100% Dem
69%
Winner
Fred EychanerIndividual

Newsweb Corporation · IL

$14M100% Dem
27%
Loser
Paul SingerIndividual

Elliott Management · MA

$14M97% GOP
58%
Mixed
Association Nea Advocacy FundIndividual

Nea · DC

$14M99% Dem
33%
Loser
Patrick Ryan Sr.Individual

Ryan Specialty Group · IL

$14M98% GOP
53%
Mixed
Donald SussmanIndividual

Paloma Partners · NY

$13M98% Dem
66%
Winner
Warren StephensIndividual

Stephens Inc. · AR

$13M97% GOP
43%
Mixed
Working for Working Americans - FederalAnother PAC

NV

$12M100% Dem
18%
Loser
Ronald CameronIndividual

Mountaire Corp · AR

$12M97% GOP
53%
Mixed
Laura PerlmutterIndividual

Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Fndn. · FL

$12M100% GOP
6%
Loser
Charles SchwabIndividual

Charles Schwab Corporation · CA

$12M97% GOP
58%
Mixed
Jeffrey SprecherIndividual

Intercontinental Exchange · GA

$12M65% Dem
65%
Winner
Koch IndustriesCompany

KS

$11M98% GOP
60%
Mixed
Stephen WynnIndividual

Valmore Gp · NV

$11M98% GOP
54%
Mixed
George MarcusIndividual

The Marcus & Millichap Co. · CA

$11M100% Dem
53%
Mixed
Isaac PerlmutterIndividual

Marvel Entertainment LLC · FL

$11M100% GOP
0%
Loser
National Rifle Association of America Political Victory FundAnother PAC

VA

$10M100% GOP
13%
Loser
Kelcy WarrenIndividual

Energy Transfer · TX

$10M100% GOP
1%
Loser
Aft Solidarity 527Company / nonprofit

DC

$9.6M100% Dem
36%
Mixed
J Christopher ReyesIndividual

Reyes Holdings LLC · FL

$8.8M97% GOP
56%
Mixed
M Jude ReyesIndividual

Reyes Holdings LLC · FL

$8.8M97% GOP
56%
Mixed
Reid HoffmanIndividual

LinkedIn co-founder / Greylock · CA

$8.6M100% Dem
89%
Winner
Connie BallmerIndividual

Ballmer Group (Microsoft fortune) · WA

$8.5M100% Dem
56%
Mixed
Fair FightAnother PAC

GA

$8.5M100% Dem
75%
Winner
Seiu Cope (Service Employees International Union Committee On Political Education)Another PAC

DC

$8.3M99% Dem
92%
Winner
S Donald SussmanIndividual

Paloma Partners LLC · FL

$8.1M100% Dem
27%
Loser
American Bridge 21st Century FoundationAnother PAC

DC

$8.0M100% Dem
87%
Winner
Greater New York Hospital Association Management CorporationCompany / nonprofit

NY

$8.0M100% Dem
42%
Mixed
House Majority ForwardDark money

DC

$8.0M100% Dem
18%
Loser
J Joe RickettsIndividual

Self-Employed · WY

$8.0M100% GOP
74%
Winner
Susan MandelIndividual

Zoom Foundation · CT

$8.0M99% Dem
61%
Mixed
Lcv Victory FundAnother PAC

DC

$7.9M100% Dem
77%
Winner