PAC
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Society of Thoracic Surgeons Political Action Committee
MembershipLobbyist PAC
Membership / ideological group · FEC committee C00325936
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons gave $225K directly to 80 federal candidates in 2026 through its PAC, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Political Action Committee, and 51% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). 64 of the 75 candidates with a result won.
Checks to candidates
$225K
80 candidates on the 2026 ballot
Winners bought
64
5 more still being counted
Hit rate
85%
$176K on winners, $37K on losers
Party split
49% / 51%
Republicans / Democrats
Who funds it
The people giving to the The Society of Thoracic Surgeons PAC
238 named people gave $327K in itemized gifts this cycle. These are the biggest 25. Committees must name anyone who gives more than $200 in a year; smaller gifts are reported only as a lump sum, and money from companies, unions and other groups is not in this list.
- Wilson Szeto MDProfessor of Surgery · University of Pennsylvania · PA$10K2 gifts
- Anthony Estrera MDProfessor and Chair · Uthealth Houston Mcgovern Medical Scho · TX$10K2 gifts
- Vinay Badhwar MDGordon F. Murray Professor and Chairma · West Virginia University · WV$10K3 gifts
- Thomas Macgillivray MDChairman, Cardiac Surgery, Physician E · Medstar Washington Hospital Center · DC$10K2 gifts
- Karen Kim MDAssociate Professor of Cardiovascular · Ut Health Austin/Dell Medical School · TX$10K4 gifts
- Dawn Hui MDProfessor · University of Texas Health Science Cen · TX$10K2 gifts
- Joseph Cleveland Jr. MDProfessor · University of Colorado - Division of C · CO$10K4 gifts
- Keith Naunheim MDEmeritus Professor of Surgery · St. Louis University - Health Sciences · MO$6K3 gifts
- Rob Headrick MDChief of Thoracic Surgery · Chi Memorial · TN$5K
- J Robert Headrick MDChief of Thoracic Surgery · Chi Memorial · TN$5K
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- Traves Crabtree MDProfessor of Surgery · Southern Illinois University School of · IL$5K20 gifts
- Ibrahim Sultan MDProfessor and Chief, Division of Cardi · University of Pittsburgh Medical Cente · PA$5K3 gifts
- Timothy Scott Misselbeck MDSection Chief, Adult Cardiac Surgery · Lehigh Valley Health Network · PA$5K2 gifts
- Felix Fernandez MDProfessor of Surgery · Emory University School of Medicine · GA$4K19 gifts
- Joseph Bavaria MDRoberts-Measey Professor of Cardiovasc · Hospital of the University of Pennsylv · PA$4K2 gifts
- Jess Thompson III MDManaging Partner · Yavapai Cardiac Surgery · AZ$4K2 gifts
- Kevin Accola MDDirector, Advent Health Valve Center · Adventhealth Cardiothoracic Surgery · FL$4K2 gifts
- George John Arnaoutakis MDAssociate Professor · University of Texas At Austin Dell Med · TX$4K3 gifts
- John Howington MDPresident Elect, American College of C · Virginia Mason Franciscan Health · WA$4K2 gifts
- Vinod Thourani MDBernie Marcus Chairman, Department of · Piedmont Heart Institute · GA$4K
- Raymond Singer MDChief of Cardiac Surgery · Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital · PA$4K2 gifts
- Alejandro Bribriesco MDAssistant Professor of Surgery · Cleveland Va Medical Center · OH$3K13 gifts
- Jessica Donington MDProfessor Surery · The University of Chicago Medicine & B · IL$3K3 gifts
- Robert Higgins MDPresident and Chief Academic Officer · Rush University · IL$3K2 gifts
- John Mitchell MDProfessor · University of Colorado · CO$3K3 gifts
Names, employers and occupations are as the committee reported them to the FEC. People with the same name in the same state are counted as one person. Federal law bars using these names to ask for money or for any commercial purpose.
Biggest checks
The candidates this committee paid the most, and whether they won.
| Candidate | Race | Amount | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Guthrie | Kentucky 2nd District | $10K | ✓ Won |
| Kim Schrier | Washington 8th District | $10K | ✓ Won |
| Raul Ruiz | California 25th District | $10K | ✓ Won |
| Katherine Clark | Massachusetts 5th District | $8K | ✓ Won |
| Kathy Castor | Florida 14th District | $8K | ✓ Won |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Florida 20th District | $8K | ✓ Won |
| Roger Marshall | Kansas Senate | $7K | ✗ Lost |
| Brian Fitzpatrick | Pennsylvania 1st District | $7K | ✗ Lost |
| Shelley Moore Capito | West Virginia Senate | $7K | ✓ Won |
| Greg Murphy | North Carolina 3rd District | $7K | … Counting |
Questions people ask
- How much did The Society of Thoracic Surgeons give to candidates in 2026?
- The Society of Thoracic Surgeons gave $225K directly to 80 federal candidates in 2026 through its PAC, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Political Action Committee, and 51% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). 64 of the 75 candidates with a result won.
- Which politicians did The Society of Thoracic Surgeons give the most to in 2026?
- Brett Guthrie (Republican, Kentucky 2nd District, $10K), Kim Schrier (Democrat, Washington 8th District, $10K), Raul Ruiz (Democrat, California 25th District, $10K), Katherine Clark (Democrat, Massachusetts 5th District, $8K), Kathy Castor (Democrat, Florida 14th District, $8K).