Donor
Shirley Ryan
IndividualRetired, Retired · Illinois
2 gifts to 2 groups, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Shirley Ryan gave $1.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 56% ended up on the winning side ($419K won, $327K lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$1.0M
97% of it helped Republicans
Ended up on the winning side
56%
$419K of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$327K
Not spent yet
$290K
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Leadership Fund $283K not spent yet | $1.0M | $402K / $316K | |
| NRSC $7K not spent yet | $36K | $17K / $12K |
The trail
What the money bought
The candidates Shirley Ryan's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Shirley Ryan's share of each group's funding.
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Ossoff | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $211K | ✗ No |
| Cal Cunningham | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $118K | ✓ Yes |
| Steve Bullock | Montana Senate | Attacking | $63K | ✓ Yes |
| Theresa Greenfield | Iowa Senate | Attacking | $53K | ✓ Yes |
| Gary Peters | Michigan Senate | Attacking | $45K | ✗ No |
| Jaime Harrison | South Carolina Senate | Attacking | $40K | ✓ Yes |
| Barbara Bollier | Kansas Senate | Attacking | $39K | ✓ Yes |
| Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate | Attacking | $38K | ✗ No |
| Sara I. Gideon | Maine Senate | Attacking | $34K | ✓ Yes |
| Joni Ernst | Iowa Senate (primary) | Supporting | $30K | ✓ Yes |
| John W. Hickenlooper | Colorado Senate | Attacking | $22K | ✗ No |
| David A. Perdue | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $18K | ✓ Yes |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Shirley Ryan spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Shirley Ryan gave $1.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 56% ended up on the winning side ($419K won, $327K lost).
- Which super PACs did Shirley Ryan fund in 2020?
- Senate Leadership Fund ($1.0M), NRSC ($36K).
- Which candidates did Shirley Ryan's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- against Jon Ossoff (Georgia Senate, about $211K, lost); against Cal Cunningham (North Carolina Senate, about $118K, won); against Steve Bullock (Montana Senate, about $63K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.