FEC Independent Expenditures

Official site: https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/

What This Site Is

Official FEC data showing Super PAC and outside spending that supports or opposes federal candidates, independent of campaigns.

What You Can Do Here

  • Track outside spending in federal elections
  • Search spending by candidate or committee
  • Browse Super PAC expenditures
  • View detailed records of who paid, who benefited, and why

Start Here (Pick What You're Looking For)

If you want to...

  • See who is spending money for or against a candidate Search by candidate name and filter by Support or Oppose
  • Find Super PAC spending Filter by committee type or committee name
  • See attack ads or opposition spending Filter results by Oppose expenditures
  • Find the biggest outside spenders in an election Sort by amount or download the data

How This Page Works

  1. Go to fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures
  2. Use the search bar or filters to find spending by candidate, committee, or date
  3. Filter by Support or Oppose to see spending intent
  4. Click a row to view expenditure details and the spender
  5. Review the payee and purpose to understand what the money funded
  6. Download the data for deeper analysis

Common Things to Search For

  • Super PAC spending for or against a specific candidate
  • Largest independent expenditures in a recent election
  • Outside spending by a specific committee or PAC
  • Attack ads and opposition spending
  • Spending in highly competitive races

Good to Know

  • Independent expenditures cannot be coordinated with candidates
  • Super PACs can raise unlimited funds but must disclose donors
  • Some spending is reported close to Election Day — check recent filings
  • "Dark money" may flow through nonprofits that don't disclose donors
  • This page shows disclosed spending only — undisclosed spending won't appear here