Congressional Leadership Fund (House Republican leadership) spent $143M on independent expenditures in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 84% ended up on the winning side ($111M won, $21M lost).
Outside spending
$143M
On the winning side
84%
$111M
On the losing side
$21M
Supporting vs attacking
7% / 93%
$9.3M for, $133M against
Google says Congressional Leadership Fund also spent $3.4M on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (2% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →
Follow the money
Who filled the envelope
Congressional Leadership Fund reported $160M in gifts from people, companies, nonprofits and other PACs. The biggest are below.
- American Action NetworkDark money$30M (19%)
- Miriam AdelsonIndividual$25M (16%)
- Sheldon AdelsonIndividual$25M (16%)
- Timothy MellonIndividual$20M (13%)
- Ken GriffinIndividual$10M (6%)
- Paul SingerIndividual$3.0M (2%)
- Stephen SchwarzmanIndividual$2.5M (2%)
- Charles SchwabIndividual$2.5M (2%)
- Bernie MarcusIndividual$2.3M (1%)
- Hillwood Development Company LLCCompany / nonprofit$2.1M (1%)
Where the money went
Biggest targets, with whether each one paid off.
✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Result not matched
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Amount | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony J. Brindisi | New York 22nd District | Attacking | $6.6M | ✓ Yes |
| Sri Preston Kulkarni | Texas 22nd District | Attacking | $5.5M | ✓ Yes |
| Max N. Rose | New York 11th District | Attacking | $5.2M | ✓ Yes |
| Carolyn Bordeaux | Georgia 7th District | Attacking | $4.8M | Unknown |
| Christy Smith | California 25th District | Attacking | $4.8M | ✓ Yes |
| Xochitl Torres Small | New Mexico 2nd District | Attacking | $4.6M | ✓ Yes |
| Collin C. Peterson | Minnesota 7th District | Attacking | $4.4M | ✓ Yes |
| Kendra S. Horn | Oklahoma 5th District | Attacking | $4.3M | ✓ Yes |
| Candace Valenzuela | Texas 24th District | Attacking | $4.3M | ✓ Yes |
| Jackie Gordon | New York 2nd District | Attacking | $3.9M | ✓ Yes |
| Joe Cunningham | South Carolina 1st District | Attacking | $3.9M | ✓ Yes |
| Debbie Mucarsel-Powell | Florida 26th District | Attacking | $3.8M | ✓ Yes |
Questions people ask
- How much did Congressional Leadership Fund spend in 2020, and did it win?
- Congressional Leadership Fund (House Republican leadership) spent $143M on independent expenditures in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 84% ended up on the winning side ($111M won, $21M lost).
- Who funds Congressional Leadership Fund?
- Its biggest reported donors in the 2020 cycle were American Action Network ($30M), Miriam Adelson ($25M), Sheldon Adelson ($25M), Timothy Mellon ($20M), Ken Griffin ($10M), out of $160M received from donors tracked here.
- Which candidates did Congressional Leadership Fund spend the most on in 2020?
- against Anthony J. Brindisi (New York 22nd District, $6.6M, won); against Sri Preston Kulkarni (Texas 22nd District, $5.5M, won); against Max N. Rose (New York 11th District, $5.2M, won).