Donor
Timothy Mellon
IndividualInvestments, Banking heir (Mellon family) · Wyoming
13 reported gifts; 5 recipient groups listed, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Timothy Mellon gave $70M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 46% were on the winning side ($24M won, $28M lost). $1.3M had no matched result and is excluded.
Gave to outside spenders
$70M
99% of it helped Republicans
Winning share of scored dollars
46%
$52M scored (74% of gifts)
Spent on the losing side
$28M
Not allocated or result unknown
$18M
$17M not allocated to tracked outside spending; $1.3M has no matched result. Neither is cash on hand.
Where the checks went
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Leadership Fund $12M not allocated to tracked outside spending | $30M | $10M / $8.0M | |
| Congressional Leadership Fund $2.9M not allocated to tracked outside spending | $20M | $13M / $2.5M | |
| America First Action $2.5M not allocated to tracked outside spending | $20M | $0 / $18M | |
| NRCC $547 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $750 | $179 / $16 | |
| Republican National Committee $248 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $250 | $0 / $2 |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | President | Attacking | $17M | ✗ No |
| Jon Ossoff | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $5.3M | ✗ No |
| Cal Cunningham | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $2.9M | ✓ Yes |
| Steve Bullock | Montana Senate | Attacking | $1.5M | ✓ Yes |
| Theresa Greenfield | Iowa Senate | Attacking | $1.2M | ✓ Yes |
| Gary Peters | Michigan Senate | Attacking | $1.1M | ✗ No |
| Jaime Harrison | South Carolina Senate | Attacking | $1.0M | ✓ Yes |
| Barbara Bollier | Kansas Senate | Attacking | $971K | ✓ Yes |
| Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate | Attacking | $925K | ✗ No |
| Anthony J. Brindisi | New York 22nd District | Attacking | $790K | ✓ Yes |
| Sara I. Gideon | Maine Senate | Attacking | $779K | ✓ Yes |
| Joni Ernst | Iowa Senate | Supporting | $756K | ✓ Yes |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Timothy Mellon spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Timothy Mellon gave $70M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 46% were on the winning side ($24M won, $28M lost). $1.3M had no matched result and is excluded.
- Which super PACs did Timothy Mellon fund in 2020?
- Senate Leadership Fund ($30M), Congressional Leadership Fund ($20M), America First Action ($20M), NRCC ($750), Republican National Committee ($250).
- Which candidates did Timothy Mellon's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- against Joe Biden (President, about $17M, lost); against Jon Ossoff (Georgia Senate, about $5.3M, lost); against Cal Cunningham (North Carolina Senate, about $2.9M, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.