Buzz
A clever way to discover someone’s political views and the causes that matter to them is by finding out which political campaigns they’ve financially supported. You might come across surprising revelations or learn that someone’s financial backing doesn’t always align with party loyalties. It's also possible to uncover that an organization publicly espousing certain ideals may, in reality, use its funds to support different political positions.
If you're curious about whether your family, neighbors, colleagues, or favorite brands have contributed to political candidates, you can easily uncover this information by searching through publicly accessible financial disclosure records.
Are contributions to political campaigns considered public records?
In general, political campaign donations are considered public records. All Senate, House, and presidential candidates (along with any committees raising money on their behalf) are required to report their donations to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC mandates that campaigns track all contributions, although the depth of information collected varies depending on the donation size. For donations of $50 or less (such as cash raised at a fundraiser), campaigns aren’t required to gather any personal details about the donor.
Reporting requirements also differ for state-level candidates, depending on state laws. For example, campaigns might not have to reveal donor identities for small contributions totaling under $50–$100.
How to monitor donations to national political campaigns
The FEC provides a searchable donor database where you can explore donations by recipient or contributor, and further refine your search by factors like zip code, donor occupation, employer, and contribution size.
Reviewing FEC reports can be a bit overwhelming. A more user-friendly alternative is OpenSecrets, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group (formerly the Center for Responsive Politics) that tracks political spending in the U.S. and provides detailed reports on lobbying, political action committees (PACs), interest groups, and other donors. OpenSecrets features a searchable database of campaign donations that shows which candidates or campaigns a donor has supported. You can also use advanced search filters to sort by recipient or donor information like occupation, employer, or zip code.
You can also explore contributions through the organization’s Get Local! tool. Simply choose the state of the candidate and navigate using the tabs to view reports by donor, candidate, metro area, and more. Additionally, the tool features a zip code search to help you pinpoint donations specific to your area.
Learn how to monitor contributions to state and local elections.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) only tracks data for federal campaigns. However, the National Institute on Money in Politics offers a resource called FollowTheMoney.org that lets you track donations to state and local races. It's worth noting that this organization has merged with the Center for Responsive Politics, so OpenSecrets will eventually house all the available data.
Currently, you can visit FollowTheMoney.org to explore and search through state campaign finance data up until the 2024 election. Start by selecting the state you're interested in on the map, which will open a new tab with a state overview. From there, you can choose the office type (such as gubernatorial) to narrow down donation details for specific races.
Alternatively, you can scroll down past the map to find the Tools section, where you can use the drop-down menus to select your state and election cycle. You can also try typing a name into the main search bar to see an individual’s contributions and, if they’re also a candidate, view the funds they’ve received.
If you're unable to find the information you need on FollowTheMoney, you can go directly to your state's campaign finance or election commission website to search disclosure forms.
State-specific organizations, such as the Virginia Public Access Project, also monitor financial activity in local elections. A quick Google search with terms like 'campaign disclosures [state]' can help you find similar organizations in your area, if available.
