Who funds Project 218?

Its biggest reported donors in the 2026 cycle were Democracy Matters ($13M), Government That Works PAC ($1.0M), Matt Bell ($750K), Rory Gates ($300K), David Stiepleman ($275K), out of $22M received from donors tracked here.

Which candidates did Project 218 spend the most on in 2026?

for Johnny Garcia (Texas 35th District, $2.5M, won); for Bobby Pulido (Texas 15th District, $1.7M, won); for Lindsay James (Iowa 2nd District, $1.6M, won).

← All super PACs

Outside spender

Project 218

FEC committee C00871368

Backed winners

Project 218 spent $19M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 94% were on the winning side ($15M won, $885K lost, with $632K in races still being counted). $3.1M had no matched result and is excluded.

Outside spending

$19M

Winning share of scored dollars

94%

$15M scored (81% of spending); $3.1M unknown

On the losing side

$885K

$632K still being counted

Supporting vs attacking

91% / 9%

$18M for, $1.6M against

Google says Project 218 also spent $700K on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (4% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →

Follow the money

Who filled the envelope

The donor records in this snapshot trace $22M to Project 218. This is incomplete funding coverage; percentages below refer only to these traced gifts. The allocation denominator is $23M.

All big donors →

Democracy MattersCompany / nonprofit$13M (57%)
Government That Works PACCompany / nonprofit$1.0M (4%)
Matt BellIndividual$750K (3%)
Rory GatesIndividual$300K (1%)
David StieplemanIndividual$275K (1%)
Samuel WaltonIndividual$250K (1%)
Keith BehnerIndividual$250K (1%)
Amos HostetterIndividual$250K (1%)
James MillsteinIndividual$250K (1%)
John LevyIndividual$200K (1%)

The people behind it

The people giving to Project 218

388 named people gave $8.5M 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.

Matt BellTech · Anthropic · CA$750K
Rory GatesAnalyst · Afghanistan War Commission · WA$300K
David StieplemanCo-President · Sixth Street · CA$275K2 gifts
Samuel WaltonExecutive · Restoration Works · AR$250K
Keith BehnerRetired · CA$250K
Amos HostetterRetired · MA$250K
James MillsteinConsultant · Millstein & Co. · DC$250K
John LevyInvestor · FL$200K
David FarhiNot Employed · CA$200K
Jennifer NanInvestor · CA$200K

Show 15 more

Theodore SpencerConsultant · NY$150K
Raph LeeTechnical Staff · Anthropic · CA$150K
John HemmerNot Employed · MD$130K3 gifts
Cathy StiefelRetired · CA$100K
Jaz ZaitlinRetired · CA$100K3 gifts
David CohanNot Employed · CA$100K4 gifts
Peter FrancisNot Employed · MA$100K
Benjamin AppenChief Executive Officer · Magnitude Capital · NY$100K
Daniel CarrollInvestment Advisor · Brooklands Capital · CA$100K
Ross BoucherNot Employed · CA$100K
Daniel EgnorNot Employed · CA$100K
Stephen ClearmanInvestor · Kinderhook Partners · NY$100K
Louis HanoverCIO · Marathon Asset Management · CT$100K
David MahoneyInvestor · CA$100K
Stephen LevyDirector · Central Ca School of Continuing Educat · CA$85K4 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.

Where the money went

Biggest targets, with whether each one won.

✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Race not called yet Result not matched

Candidate	Race	Spending	Amount	Won?
Johnny Garcia	Texas 35th District	Supporting	$2.5M	✓ Yes
Bobby Pulido	Texas 15th District	Supporting	$1.7M	✓ Yes
Lindsay James	Iowa 2nd District	Supporting	$1.6M	✓ Yes
Shomari Figures	Alabama 2nd District	Supporting	$1.4M	✓ Yes
Johnny Garcia	Texas 35th District (primary)	Supporting	$1.4M	✓ Yes
Jeff Van Drew	New Jersey 2nd District	Attacking	$1.3M	✓ Yes
Jasmeet Bains	California 22nd District (primary)	Supporting	$999K	Unknown
Sarah Trone Garriott	Iowa 3rd District	Supporting	$996K	✓ Yes
Joseph Baldacci	Maine 2nd District (primary)	Supporting	$907K	Unknown
Marni von Wilpert	California 48th District (primary)	Supporting	$900K	✓ Yes
Bale Dalton	Florida 7th District	Supporting	$632K	Counting
Adriano Espaillat	New York 13th District (primary)	Supporting	$600K	Unknown

Questions people ask

How much did Project 218 spend in 2026, and did it win?: Project 218 spent $19M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 94% were on the winning side ($15M won, $885K lost, with $632K in races still being counted). $3.1M had no matched result and is excluded.
Who funds Project 218?: Its biggest reported donors in the 2026 cycle were Democracy Matters ($13M), Government That Works PAC ($1.0M), Matt Bell ($750K), Rory Gates ($300K), David Stiepleman ($275K), out of $22M received from donors tracked here.
Which candidates did Project 218 spend the most on in 2026?: for Johnny Garcia (Texas 35th District, $2.5M, won); for Bobby Pulido (Texas 15th District, $1.7M, won); for Lindsay James (Iowa 2nd District, $1.6M, won).