Which candidates did Jeff Skoll's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?

against Thom Tilllis (North Carolina Senate, about $414K, lost); against Joni Ernst (Iowa Senate, about $409K, lost); against David A. Perdue (Georgia Senate, about $379K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.

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Donor

Jeff Skoll

Individual

Owner, Goodlands LLC · California

2 reported gifts; 1 recipient group listed, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.

Mixed results

Jeff Skoll gave $4.5M 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, 42% were on the winning side ($1.2M won, $1.6M lost). $0 had no matched result and is excluded.

Gave to outside spenders

$4.5M

100% of it helped Democrats

Winning share of scored dollars

42%

$2.8M scored (62% of gifts)

Spent on the losing side

$1.6M

Not allocated or result unknown

$1.7M

$1.7M not allocated to tracked outside spending; $0 has no matched result. Neither is cash on hand.

Where the checks went

A person writing checks 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 check 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 Majority PAC $1.7M not allocated to tracked outside spending	$4.5M		$1.2M / $1.6M

The trail

What the money bought

The candidates Jeff Skoll's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Jeff Skoll's share of each group's funding.

Candidate	Race	Spending	Their share	Paid off?
Thom Tilllis	North Carolina Senate	Attacking	$414K	✗ No
Joni Ernst	Iowa Senate	Attacking	$409K	✗ No
David A. Perdue	Georgia Senate	Attacking	$379K	✓ Yes
John James	Michigan Senate	Attacking	$352K	✓ Yes
Susan Margaret Collins	Maine Senate	Attacking	$300K	✗ No
Steve Daines	Montana Senate	Attacking	$192K	✗ No
Martha McSally	Arizona Senate	Attacking	$178K	✓ Yes
John Cornyn	Texas Senate	Attacking	$104K	✗ No
Cory Gardner	Colorado Senate	Attacking	$86K	✓ Yes
Theresa Greenfield	Iowa Senate (primary)	Supporting	$84K	✓ Yes
John James	Michigan Senate (primary)	Attacking	$63K	✗ No
Lindsey Graham	South Carolina Senate	Attacking	$60K	✗ No

Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.

Questions people ask

How much did Jeff Skoll spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?: Jeff Skoll gave $4.5M 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, 42% were on the winning side ($1.2M won, $1.6M lost). $0 had no matched result and is excluded.
Which super PACs did Jeff Skoll fund in 2020?: Senate Majority PAC ($4.5M).
Which candidates did Jeff Skoll's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?: against Thom Tilllis (North Carolina Senate, about $414K, lost); against Joni Ernst (Iowa Senate, about $409K, lost); against David A. Perdue (Georgia Senate, about $379K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.