Donor
Michael Smith
IndividualConsultant, Kaitar Resources · Colorado
649 reported gifts; 24 recipient groups listed, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Michael Smith gave $2.5M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2022 federal elections, and 96% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2022). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 47% were on the winning side ($913K won, $1.0M lost). $24K had no matched result and is excluded.
Gave to outside spenders
$2.5M
96% of it helped Republicans
Winning share of scored dollars
47%
$2.0M scored (78% of gifts)
Spent on the losing side
$1.0M
Not allocated or result unknown
$566K
$543K not allocated to tracked outside spending; $24K 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 $334K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $2.0M | $697K / $969K | |
| Alaskans for L.I.S.a. (Leadership in a Strong Alaska) $33K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $200K | $167K / $0 | |
| Carolina Senate Fund $16K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $110K | $0 / $71K | |
| DSCC $71K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $84K | $12K / $1K | |
| DCCC $56K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $74K | $14K / $4K | |
| Alabama Conservatives Fund $5K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $25K | $20K / $0 | |
| NRSC $15K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $17K | $579 / $2K | |
| NRCC $4K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $5K | $533 / $1K | |
| Senate Majority PAC $1K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $3K | $882 / $280 | |
| National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund $1K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $1K | $66 / $374 | |
| The Lincoln Project $1K not allocated to tracked outside spending | $1K | $8 / $27 | |
| Senate Conservatives Fund $663 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $1K | $163 / $34 | |
| Moveon.Org Political Action $950 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $995 | $8 / $34 | |
| Congressional Black Caucus PAC $855 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $940 | $49 / $35 | |
| National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee $810 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $900 | $71 / $11 | |
| Lcv Victory Fund $328 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $750 | $368 / $40 | |
| 314 Action Fund $648 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $740 | $75 / $8 | |
| National Victory Action Fund $513 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $695 | $111 / $34 | |
| Giffords PAC $393 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $603 | $210 / $0 | |
| Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund (Everytown Victory Fund) $320 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $500 | $152 / $28 | |
| Seiu Cope (Service Employees International Union Committee On Political Education) $376 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $400 | $11 / $12 | |
| The Committee to Defeat the President $196 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $380 | $81 / $24 | |
| House Freedom Fund $270 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $340 | $52 / $17 | |
| Votevets $48 not allocated to tracked outside spending | $100 | $32 / $20 |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John K. Fetterman | Pennsylvania Senate | Attacking | $323K | ✗ No |
| Raphael Warnock | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $306K | ✗ No |
| Cheri Beasley | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $258K | ✓ Yes |
| Tim Ryan | Ohio Senate | Attacking | $220K | ✓ Yes |
| Mandela Barnes | Wisconsin Senate | Attacking | $177K | ✓ Yes |
| Catherine Cortez Masto | Nevada Senate | Attacking | $174K | ✗ No |
| Lisa Murkowski | Alaska Senate (primary) | Supporting | $107K | ✓ Yes |
| Ted Budd | North Carolina Senate (primary) | Attacking | $71K | ✗ No |
| Donald C. Bolduc | New Hampshire Senate | Supporting | $63K | ✗ No |
| Lisa Murkowski | Alaska Senate | Supporting | $60K | ✓ Yes |
| Herschel Junior Walker | Georgia Senate | Supporting | $59K | ✗ No |
| Maggie Hassan | New Hampshire Senate | Attacking | $46K | ✗ No |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Michael Smith spend on the 2022 elections, and did it win?
- Michael Smith gave $2.5M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2022 federal elections, and 96% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2022). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 47% were on the winning side ($913K won, $1.0M lost). $24K had no matched result and is excluded.
- Which super PACs did Michael Smith fund in 2022?
- Senate Leadership Fund ($2.0M), Alaskans for L.I.S.a. (Leadership in a Strong Alaska) ($200K), Carolina Senate Fund ($110K), DSCC ($84K), DCCC ($74K).
- Which candidates did Michael Smith's money end up backing or attacking in 2022?
- against John K. Fetterman (Pennsylvania Senate, about $323K, lost); against Raphael Warnock (Georgia Senate, about $306K, lost); against Cheri Beasley (North Carolina Senate, about $258K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.