What Are Independent Expenditures?
Independent expenditures are spending by individuals, groups, or committees that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate but are not made in coordination with any campaign. In the 2024 cycle, 882 committees reported $49.09B in independent expenditures.
Support vs Opposition Spending
| Type | Amount | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Support (for candidates) | $46.69B | 95.1% |
| Opposition (against candidates) | $2.40B | 4.9% |
Top 15 Committees by IE Spending
| Rank | Committee | Total Spent | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE COMMITTEE OF 300 | $17.74B | 36.1% |
| 2 | THE COURT OF DIVINE JUSTICE | $9.98B | 20.3% |
| 3 | Republican Emo Girl | $6.35B | 12.9% |
| 4 | Food & Water Action | $1.03B | 2.1% |
| 5 | The Masonic Illuminati Eye | $579.9M | 1.2% |
| 6 | FF PAC | $500.3M | 1.0% |
| 7 | MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN INC. | $366.1M | 0.7% |
| 8 | WinSenate | $315.0M | 0.6% |
| 9 | Gus Associates | $255.0M | 0.5% |
| 10 | HMP | $241.1M | 0.5% |
| 11 | Senate Leadership Fund | $211.1M | 0.4% |
| 12 | Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) DBA CVA Action and DBA LIBRE Action | $161.2M | 0.3% |
| 13 | PRESERVE AMERICA PAC | $112.3M | 0.2% |
| 14 | DCCC | $103.0M | 0.2% |
| 15 | SFA Fund, Inc | $99.9M | 0.2% |
Why Independent Expenditures Matter
Since the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010, independent expenditures have become one of the largest channels for political spending. Unlike direct contributions, independent expenditures have no dollar limits.
Methodology
Data is sourced from FEC Schedule E filings for the 2024 election cycle.