The Committee to Defend the President spent $16M 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, 3% ended up on the winning side ($463K won, $15M lost).
Outside spending
$16M
On the winning side
3%
$463K
On the losing side
$15M
Supporting vs attacking
73% / 27%
$12M for, $4.2M against
Google says The Committee to Defend the President also spent $28K on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (0% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →
Follow the money
Who filled the envelope
The Committee to Defend the President reported $6.5M in gifts from people, companies, nonprofits and other PACs. The biggest are below.
- Diane MassonIndividual$40K (1%)
- Claire ReissIndividual$25K (0%)
- John LodgeIndividual$21K (0%)
- Maritha BlalockIndividual$20K (0%)
- Martha ParksIndividual$19K (0%)
- Glenda PerrymanIndividual$18K (0%)
- Claudette VogelIndividual$16K (0%)
- Charles IrbyIndividual$16K (0%)
- Philip HammondIndividual$15K (0%)
- Stephen AnnandIndividual$15K (0%)
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? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | President | Supporting | $10M | ✗ No |
| Joe Biden | President | Attacking | $3.4M | ✗ No |
| Joe Biden | President (primary) | Attacking | $717K | ✗ No |
| Kelly Loeffler | Georgia Senate (special) | Supporting | $345K | ✗ No |
| David A. Perdue | Georgia Senate | Supporting | $313K | ✗ No |
| Jeff Van Drew | New Jersey 2nd District | Supporting | $258K | ✓ Yes |
| Dan Bishop | North Carolina 9th District | Supporting | $205K | ✓ Yes |
| Elizabeth Warren | President | Attacking | $7K | Unknown |
Questions people ask
- How much did The Committee to Defend the President spend in 2020, and did it win?
- The Committee to Defend the President spent $16M 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, 3% ended up on the winning side ($463K won, $15M lost).
- Who funds The Committee to Defend the President?
- Its biggest reported donors in the 2020 cycle were Diane Masson ($40K), Claire Reiss ($25K), John Lodge ($21K), Maritha Blalock ($20K), Martha Parks ($19K), out of $6.5M received from donors tracked here.
- Which candidates did The Committee to Defend the President spend the most on in 2020?
- for Donald Trump (President, $10M, lost); against Joe Biden (President, $3.4M, lost); against Joe Biden (President, $717K, lost).