Defending Our Values PAC spent $7.9M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 76% were on the winning side ($5.3M won, $1.7M lost). $838K had no matched result and is excluded.
Outside spending
$7.9M
Winning share of scored dollars
76%
$7.0M scored (89% of spending); $838K unknown
On the losing side
$1.7M
Supporting vs attacking
89% / 11%
$7.0M for, $838K against
Google says Defending Our Values PAC also spent $440K on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (6% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →
Follow the money
Who filled the envelope
- Public First Action IncDark money$7.9M (94%)
- Public FirstAnother PAC$300K (4%)
- Jan LeikeIndividual$100K (1%)
- Todor MarkovIndividual$50K (1%)
- Wfw Action Fund IncAnother PAC$10K (0%)
- Donovan LiamIndividual$5K (0%)
- Peter LofgrenIndividual$5K (0%)
- Matthew FisherIndividual$1K (0%)
The people behind it
The people giving to Defending Our Values PAC
- Jan LeikeResearcher · Anthropic · CA$100K
- Todor Mihaylov MarkovResearch Scientist · Meta Superintelligence Labs · CA$50K
- Donovan LiamTrader · NY$5K
- Peter LofgrenMember of Technical Staff · Anthropic · CA$5K
- Matthew FisherResearch Scientist · Adobe · CA$1K
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.
Where the money went
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Amount | Won? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos De La Cruz | Texas 35th District | Supporting | $1.0M | ✗ No |
| Celeste Maloy | Utah 3rd District (primary) | Supporting | $999K | ✓ Yes |
| Rhett Marques | Alabama 2nd District (primary) | Supporting | $960K | ✓ Yes |
| Scott Singer | Florida 25th District (primary) | Supporting | $857K | ✓ Yes |
| Kevin Hern | Oklahoma Senate (primary) | Supporting | $808K | ✓ Yes |
| John Cowan | Georgia 11th District | Supporting | $759K | ✓ Yes |
| Daniel John Franzese | Florida 25th District (primary) | Attacking | $740K | Unknown |
| Alex Mealer | Texas 9th District | Supporting | $706K | ✗ No |
| Carlos De La Cruz | Texas 35th District (primary) | Supporting | $480K | ✓ Yes |
| Pete Ricketts | Nebraska Senate (primary) | Supporting | $263K | ✓ Yes |
| Alex Mealer | Texas 9th District (primary) | Supporting | $198K | ✓ Yes |
| Briscoe Rowell III Cain | Texas 9th District | Attacking | $58K | Unknown |
Questions people ask
- How much did Defending Our Values PAC spend in 2026, and did it win?
- Defending Our Values PAC spent $7.9M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 99% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 76% were on the winning side ($5.3M won, $1.7M lost). $838K had no matched result and is excluded.
- Who funds Defending Our Values PAC?
- Its biggest reported donors in the 2026 cycle were Public First Action Inc ($7.9M), Public First ($300K), Jan Leike ($100K), Todor Markov ($50K), Wfw Action Fund Inc ($10K), out of $8.4M received from donors tracked here.
- Which candidates did Defending Our Values PAC spend the most on in 2026?
- for Carlos De La Cruz (Texas 35th District, $1.0M, lost); for Celeste Maloy (Utah 3rd District, $999K, won); for Rhett Marques (Alabama 2nd District, $960K, won).