Politician
Bernie Sanders
Independent / other · Vermont · ran 1 time since 2020, won 1 · incumbent
FEC candidate S4VT00033
Bernie Sanders (Independent / other) raised $8.2M for the 2024 Vermont Senate race, $89K of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2024). They won.
Raised, all runs
$8.2M
2024
From PAC checks
1%
$89K from corporations, trade groups, unions and politicians
Outside money for
$0
Super PACs and party groups helping
Outside money against
$0
Spent attacking them
Every run
Each general election, with the money behind it and the result.
| Cycle | Race | Raised | PAC share | Outside for / against | Google ads | All money | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Vermont Senate | $8.2M | 1% | $0 / $0 | – | $8.2M | ✓ Won |
Who wrote the checks
The PACs that gave the most across every run, and what kind of money it is.
Union $79KCorporate $14KMembership $10KOther $10KLeadership PAC $5K
- Nea Fund for Children and Public EducationCorporateLobbyist PAC$14K
- Machinists Non Partisan Political League of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace WorkersUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- National Association of Letter Carriers of U.S.a. Political Fund (Letter Carrier Political Fund)UnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- Air Line Pilots Association PACUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- Transport Workers Union of America Political Contributions CommitteeUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Active Ballot ClubUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- Seiu Cope (Service Employees International Union Committee On Political Education)UnionLobbyist PAC$5K
- American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees P E O P L EUnionLobbyist PAC$5K
Outside money, for and against
Super PACs and party groups that spent the most on these races.
No outside spending of note.
The payback
How they voted on their funders' bills
On the 1 key vote where Bernie Sanders had taken $10K+ from the industry with a stake, they voted the industry's way 1 time (100%). Money is PAC checks plus credited super PAC support across every run since 2020; “with industry” is the vote the industry lobbied for.
| Vote | Industry | Their money from it | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most-favoured-nation drug pricingSenate · 2026 · 49–49 | Pharma and health care wanted nay | – | Yea · against |
| Block Israel arms sale (Apr 2026)Senate · 2026 · 40–59 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $3K | Yea · against |
| ACA enhanced premium tax creditsSenate · 2025 · 51–48 | Insurance wanted yea | – | Yea · with industry |
| ANWR coastal plain leasingSenate · 2025 · 49–45 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Block Israel arms sale (Jul 2025)Senate · 2025 · 24–73 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $3K | Yea · against |
| One Big Beautiful Bill ActSenate · 2025 · 50–50 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yeaWall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | –– | Nay · againstNay · against |
| Halve Medicare drug prices (Sanders)Senate · 2025 · 47–53 | Pharma and health care wanted nay | – | Yea · against |
| Strike the AI moratoriumSenate · 2025 · 99–1 | Tech and AI wanted nay | – | Yea · against |
| Crypto corruption amendmentSenate · 2025 · 47–53 | Crypto wanted nay | – | Yea · against |
| GENIUS Act (stablecoins)Senate · 2025 · 68–30 | Crypto wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| California clean cars waiver repealSenate · 2025 · 51–44 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| OCC bank merger rule repealSenate · 2025 · 52–47 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| CFPB overdraft rule repealSenate · 2025 · 52–48 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| IRS DeFi broker rule repealSenate · 2025 · 70–28 | Crypto wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Methane waste emissions charge repealSenate · 2025 · 52–47 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Block Israel arms sale (Nov 2024)Senate · 2024 · 18–79 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $3K | Yea · against |
| SAB 121 repealSenate · 2024 · 60–38 | Crypto wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Joint-employer rule repealSenate · 2024 · 50–48 | Labor unions wanted nay | $93K | Nay · with industry |
| NDAA FY2024Senate · 2023 · 87–13 | Defense contractors wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Pistol brace rule repealSenate · 2023 · 49–50 | Gun lobby wanted yea | – | Nay · against |
| Inflation Reduction ActSenate · 2022 · 50–50 | Oil, gas and coal wanted nayPharma and health care wanted nayWall Street and hedge funds wanted nay | ––– | Yea · againstYea · againstYea · against |
| Safer Communities Act (post-Uvalde)Senate · 2022 · 65–33 | Gun lobby wanted nay | – | Yea · against |
The revolving door
1 former aide now lobbying
Lobbyists who list a job in Bernie Sanders's office among the government positions they held, and who they now work for. A former staffer gets the meeting.
Michaeleen CrowellFormer congressional staff
Leg Director, Rep. Denise Majette; Leg Director, Rep. John Lewis; Chief of Staff, US Sen. Bernie Sanders
Now lobbies for Amgen, INC. Fka Horizon Therapeutics USA, INC., Google Client Services, LLC, T-Mobile USA, INC., American Petroleum Institute and 3 more · via S-3 Group
Figures are the candidate's principal committees as filed with the FEC, cycle by cycle. See About the data.
Questions people ask
- Who funded Bernie Sanders's 2024 campaign?
- Bernie Sanders (Independent / other) raised $8.2M for the 2024 Vermont Senate race, $89K of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2024). They won.
- Which PACs gave the most to Bernie Sanders?
- Nea Fund for Children and Public Education ($14K), Machinists Non Partisan Political League of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers ($10K), National Association of Letter Carriers of U.S.a. Political Fund (Letter Carrier Political Fund) ($10K), Air Line Pilots Association PAC ($10K), Transport Workers Union of America Political Contributions Committee ($10K) in 2024.