Politician
John James
Republican · Michigan · ran 1 time since 2020, won 0
FEC candidate S8MI00372
John James (Republican) raised $49M for the 2020 Michigan Senate race, $873K of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $6.8M for and $33M against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). They lost.
Raised, all cycles
$49M
2020; counted once per cycle
From PAC checks
2%
$873K from corporations, trade groups, unions and politicians
Outside money for
$6.8M
Super PACs and party groups helping
Outside money against
$33M
Spent attacking them
Every run
Each election and its result. Campaign receipts cover the whole cycle and can appear in both regular and special contests; they count once in the totals above.
| Cycle | Race | Raised | PAC share | Outside for / against | Google ads | All money | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Michigan Senate | $49M | 2% | $6.8M / $33M | $497K | $88M | ✗ Lost |
Who wrote the checks
The PACs that gave the most across every run, and what kind of money it is.
Other $476KSuper PAC $332KLeadership PAC $289KCorporate $168KTrade group $109KMembership $76KParty $50K
- WinredSuper PAC$288K
- Senate Conservatives FundOther$194K
- Co-Pilot CommitteeOther$171K
- NRSCParty$45K
- Susan B Anthony List Inc. Candidate FundOtherLobbyist PAC$18K
- Black America's Political Action CommitteeSuper PAC$13K
- Oorah! Political Action CommitteeLeadership PAC$10K
- Heartland Values PACLeadership PAC$10K
Outside money, for and against
Super PACs and party groups that spent the most on these races.
- Senate Majority PACagainst $29M
- Americas PACfor $2.2M
- Nea Advocacy Fundagainst $1.5M
- Americans for Prosperity Actionfor $835K
- Senate Conservatives Fundfor $698K
Funding and votes
How their votes align with industry funding
Across 24 industry-vote comparisons with at least $10K in traced funding, they voted the industry's way 21 times (88%). This is a retrospective comparison using covered 2020–2026 runs; some money arrived after the vote. A vote can appear for multiple industries. Unknown coverage is excluded. “With industry” means its stated preferred side, and does not establish causation.
| Vote | Industry | Their money from it | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDAA FY2027House · 2026 · 216–212 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $29K | Yea · with industry |
| Stop Insider Trading ActHouse · 2026 · 232–198 | Reported household trades wanted nay | Unknown coverage | Yea · against |
| Faster Labor Contracts ActHouse · 2026 · 230–193 | Labor unions wanted yea | $40K | Nay · against |
| Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection ActHouse · 2026 · 216–201 | Gun lobby wanted yea | $62K | Yea · with industry |
| Year-round E15House · 2026 · 218–203 | Agriculture, food and retail wanted yeaOil, gas and coal wanted nay | $2.5M$473K | Yea · with industryYea · against |
| Farm, Food, and National Security ActHouse · 2026 · 224–200 | Agriculture, food and retail wanted yea | $2.5M | Yea · with industry |
| Affordable HOMES ActHouse · 2026 · 263–147 | Real estate and construction wanted yea | $182K | Yea · with industry |
| Protect America's Workforce ActHouse · 2025 · 231–195 | Labor unions wanted yea | $40K | Nay · against |
| ANWR coastal plain leasingHouse · 2025 · 217–209 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $473K | Yea · with industry |
| NDAA FY2026House · 2025 · 231–196 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $29K | Yea · with industry |
| GENIUS Act (stablecoins)House · 2025 · 308–122 | Crypto wanted yea | $3K | Yea · with industry |
| CLARITY Act (crypto market structure)House · 2025 · 294–134 | Crypto wanted yea | $3K | Yea · with industry |
| One Big Beautiful Bill ActHouse · 2025 · 218–214 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yeaWall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $473K$783K | Yea · with industryYea · with industry |
| OCC bank merger rule repealHouse · 2025 · 220–207 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $783K | Yea · with industry |
| California clean cars waiver repealHouse · 2025 · 246–164 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $473K | Yea · with industry |
| CFPB overdraft rule repealHouse · 2025 · 217–211 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $783K | Yea · with industry |
| IRS DeFi broker rule repealHouse · 2025 · 292–132 | Crypto wanted yea | $3K | Yea · with industry |
| Methane waste emissions charge repealHouse · 2025 · 220–206 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $473K | Yea · with industry |
| FIT21 (crypto market structure)House · 2024 · 279–136 | Crypto wanted yea | $398 | Yea · with industry |
| Israel Security Assistance Support ActHouse · 2024 · 224–187 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $16K | Yea · with industry |
| SAB 121 repealHouse · 2024 · 228–182 | Crypto wanted yea | $398 | Yea · with industry |
| Antisemitism Awareness ActHouse · 2024 · 320–91 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $16K | Yea · with industry |
| Israel security supplemental (Apr 2024)House · 2024 · 366–58 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $16K | Yea · with industry |
| Ukraine security supplementalHouse · 2024 · 311–112 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $6K | Yea · with industry |
| Protecting Health Care for All Patients ActHouse · 2024 · 211–208 | Pharma and health care wanted yea | $51K | Yea · with industry |
| Joint-employer rule repealHouse · 2024 · 206–177 | Labor unions wanted nay | $8K | Yea · against |
| NDAA FY2024House · 2023 · 310–118 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $6K | Yea · with industry |
| Israel aid (Nov 2023)House · 2023 · 226–196 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $16K | Yea · with industry |
| Pistol brace rule repealHouse · 2023 · 219–210 | Gun lobby wanted yea | $57K | Yea · with industry |
| Lower Energy Costs ActHouse · 2023 · 225–204 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $279K | Yea · with industry |
| Strategic Production Response ActHouse · 2023 · 221–205 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $279K | Yea · with industry |
Constituents vs. funders
Voted the way most of their constituents wanted on 1 of 1 key votes (100%)
None of these votes set their $10K+ industry funders against a clear majority of their constituents. Constituent views come from the Cooperative Election Study, a survey of about 60,000 adults a year. A side counts as what constituents wanted only when it leads by more than the margin of error; closer results are shown as split. Party explains most votes, and none of this shows that money changed a vote.
| Vote | Their constituents | Their funders | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANWR coastal plain leasingHouse · 2025 | 46% support ±11MI-10 · split · CES 2024 · related question | $473K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | YeaVoters split |
| One Big Beautiful Bill ActHouse · 2025 | 65% support ±11MI-10 · wanted Yea · CES 2024 · related question | $473K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea$783K Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | YeaWith voters |
| Lower Energy Costs ActHouse · 2023 | 58% support ±11MI-10 · split · CES 2024 · related question | $279K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | YeaVoters split |
| Strategic Production Response ActHouse · 2023 | 58% support ±11MI-10 · split · CES 2024 · related question | $279K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | YeaVoters split |
Figures are the candidate's principal committees as filed with the FEC, cycle by cycle. See About the data.
Questions people ask
- Who funded John James's 2020 campaign?
- John James (Republican) raised $49M for the 2020 Michigan Senate race, $873K of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $6.8M for and $33M against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2020). They lost.
- Which PACs gave the most to John James?
- Winred ($288K), Senate Conservatives Fund ($194K), Co-Pilot Committee ($171K), NRSC ($45K), Susan B Anthony List Inc. Candidate Fund ($18K) in 2020.
- Which super PACs spent on John James's race?
- Senate Majority PAC ($29M against), Americas PAC ($2.2M for), Nea Advocacy Fund ($1.5M against) in 2020.