Donor
Sierra Club
Company / nonprofitCalifornia
5 gifts to 1 group, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Sierra Club gave $3.5M 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, 84% ended up on the winning side ($2.6M won, $477K lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$3.5M
100% of it helped Democrats
Ended up on the winning side
84%
$2.6M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$477K
Not spent yet
$407K
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
A company, LLC or nonprofit. Where its money came from is not reported. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Club Independent Action $407K not spent yet | $3.5M | $2.6M / $477K |
The trail
What the money bought
The candidates Sierra Club's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Sierra Club's share of each group's funding.
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | President | Supporting | $1.7M | ✓ Yes |
| Donald Trump | President (primary) | Attacking | $873K | ✗ No |
| Cal Cunningham | North Carolina Senate | Supporting | $130K | ✗ No |
| Gary Peters | Michigan Senate | Supporting | $95K | ✓ Yes |
| Jon Ossoff | Georgia Senate | Supporting | $89K | ✓ Yes |
| Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate | Supporting | $89K | ✓ Yes |
| Raphael Warnock | Georgia Senate (special) | Supporting | $89K | ✓ Yes |
| Edward J. Markey | Massachusetts Senate (primary) | Supporting | $5K | ✓ Yes |
Company / nonprofit as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Sierra Club spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Sierra Club gave $3.5M 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, 84% ended up on the winning side ($2.6M won, $477K lost).
- Which super PACs did Sierra Club fund in 2020?
- Sierra Club Independent Action ($3.5M).
- Which candidates did Sierra Club's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- for Joe Biden (President, about $1.7M, won); against Donald Trump (President, about $873K, lost); for Cal Cunningham (North Carolina Senate, about $130K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.