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Donor

J Joe Ricketts

Individual

Businessman & Philanthropist, Self-Employed · Nebraska

2 gifts to 1 group, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.

Loser

J Joe Ricketts gave $5.3M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2026 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Oct 14, 2026). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 4% ended up on the winning side ($182K won, $4.3M lost, with $249K in races still being counted).

Gave to outside spenders

$5.3M

100% of it helped Republicans

Ended up on the winning side

4%

$182K of the dollars in races already called

Spent on the losing side

$4.3M

$249K still being counted

Not spent yet

$494K

Sitting with groups that have not spent

Where the cheques went

A person writing cheques from their own fortune. 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 Race not called yet Result not matched
GroupGaveHow the group spent itWon / lost
Senate Leadership Fund

$494K not spent yet

$5.3M
$182K / $4.3M

The trail

What the money bought

The candidates J Joe Ricketts's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by J Joe Ricketts's share of each group's funding.
CandidateRaceSpendingTheir sharePaid off?
Sherrod BrownOhio Senate (special)Attacking$1.3M✗ No
Josh TurekIowa SenateAttacking$659K✗ No
Abdul El-SayedMichigan SenateAttacking$625K✗ No
Troy JacksonMaine SenateAttacking$514K✗ No
Roy CooperNorth Carolina SenateAttacking$409K✗ No
Mary PeltolaAlaska SenateAttacking$238KCounting
Adam HamiltonKansas SenateAttacking$219K✗ No
Annie AndrewsSouth Carolina SenateAttacking$174K✗ No
Chris PappasNew Hampshire SenateAttacking$169K✗ No
Jon OssoffGeorgia SenateAttacking$160K✗ No
Dan OsbornNebraska SenateAttacking$117K✓ Yes
Jon HustedOhio Senate (special)Supporting$43K✗ No

Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.

Questions people ask

How much did J Joe Ricketts spend on the 2026 elections, and did it win?
J Joe Ricketts gave $5.3M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2026 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Oct 14, 2026). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 4% ended up on the winning side ($182K won, $4.3M lost, with $249K in races still being counted).
Which super PACs did J Joe Ricketts fund in 2026?
Senate Leadership Fund ($5.3M).
Which candidates did J Joe Ricketts's money end up backing or attacking in 2026?
against Sherrod Brown (Ohio Senate (special), about $1.3M, lost); against Josh Turek (Iowa Senate, about $659K, lost); against Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan Senate, about $625K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.