Donor
Sam Bankman-Fried
IndividualCEO, FTX (collapsed 2022) · Nevada
1 gift to 1 group, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Sam Bankman-Fried gave $5.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 89% ended up on the winning side ($3.4M won, $415K lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$5.0M
100% of it helped Democrats
Ended up on the winning side
89%
$3.4M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$415K
Not spent yet
$1.1M
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
A person writing cheques from their own fortune. Each gift is split the way the group that received it split its spending between winners and losers, so a $10M cheque to a group that spent 80% on losers counts as $8M on the losing side.
✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Result not matched
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Future Forward (FF PAC) $1.1M not spent yet | $5.0M | $3.4M / $415K |
The trail
What the money bought
The candidates Sam Bankman-Fried's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Sam Bankman-Fried's share of each group's funding.
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | President | Supporting | $2.0M | ✓ Yes |
| Donald Trump | President | Attacking | $1.4M | ✓ Yes |
| Mary Hegar | Texas Senate | Supporting | $187K | ✗ No |
| John Cornyn | Texas Senate | Attacking | $187K | ✗ No |
| Susan Margaret Collins | Maine Senate | Attacking | $24K | ✗ No |
| David A. Perdue | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $19K | ✓ Yes |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Sam Bankman-Fried spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Sam Bankman-Fried gave $5.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 89% ended up on the winning side ($3.4M won, $415K lost).
- Which super PACs did Sam Bankman-Fried fund in 2020?
- Future Forward (FF PAC) ($5.0M).
- Which candidates did Sam Bankman-Fried's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- for Joe Biden (President, about $2.0M, won); against Donald Trump (President, about $1.4M, won); for Mary Hegar (Texas Senate, about $187K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.