Donor
David Geffen
IndividualFounder, David Geffen Company · California
10 reported gifts; 5 recipient groups listed, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
David Geffen gave $1.1M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 41% were on the winning side ($298K won, $436K lost). $1K had no matched result and is excluded.
Gave to outside spenders
$1.1M
100% of it helped Democrats
Winning share of scored dollars
41%
$734K scored (66% of gifts)
Spent on the losing side
$436K
Not allocated or result unknown
$371K
$370K not allocated to tracked outside spending; $1K has no matched result. Neither is cash on hand.
Where the checks went
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lincoln Project $220K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $500K | $206K / $74K | |
| House Majority PAC $55K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $400K | $63K / $281K | |
| Senate Majority PAC $38K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $100K | $26K / $36K | |
| Lmg PAC $40K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $55K | $0 / $15K | |
| Save America Fund $17K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $50K | $4K / $30K |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | President | Attacking | $190K | ✓ Yes |
| Lindsey Graham | South Carolina Senate | Attacking | $26K | ✗ No |
| Mitch McConnell | Kentucky Senate | Attacking | $20K | ✗ No |
| Michelle Steel | California 48th District | Attacking | $18K | ✗ No |
| Susan Margaret Collins | Maine Senate | Attacking | $16K | ✗ No |
| Al Gross | Alaska Senate | Supporting | $16K | ✗ No |
| Steve Bullock | Montana Senate | Supporting | $16K | ✗ No |
| Jeff Van Drew | New Jersey 2nd District | Attacking | $13K | ✗ No |
| Joe Biden | President | Supporting | $12K | ✓ Yes |
| Michelle Fischbach | Minnesota 7th District | Attacking | $12K | ✗ No |
| Mike Garcia | California 25th District | Attacking | $12K | ✗ No |
| Nicole Malliotakis | New York 11th District | Attacking | $11K | ✗ No |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did David Geffen spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- David Geffen gave $1.1M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 41% were on the winning side ($298K won, $436K lost). $1K had no matched result and is excluded.
- Which super PACs did David Geffen fund in 2020?
- The Lincoln Project ($500K), House Majority PAC ($400K), Senate Majority PAC ($100K), Lmg PAC ($55K), Save America Fund ($50K).
- Which candidates did David Geffen's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- against Donald Trump (President, about $190K, won); against Lindsey Graham (South Carolina Senate, about $26K, lost); against Mitch McConnell (Kentucky Senate, about $20K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.