OpenSecrets

09/01/2026

Ahead of Labor Day weekend, we're looking at how much money organized labor is putting into politics.

Unions spent $58 million on federal lobbying last year (the most ever) after spending $288 million on the 2023-24 election cycle.

"It's expensive to play in American politics right now," Lehigh political science professor Christopher Borick told us. "Organized labor is not immune to that reality."

Most of that money still goes to Democrats: 87% of union campaign spending in 2024 benefitted Democratic candidates and committees, down slightly from 88% the two prior cycles.

Full story:

Americans will mark Labor Day on Sept. 7. But organized labor’s political impact is felt every day in Washington.

08/31/2026

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08/27/2026

Flock Safety is flocking to Capitol Hill and statehouses, spending more than $2 million on lobbying since 2025 as its license plate tracking network draws scrutiny from both parties as well as privacy advocates. 🚦

According to the latest federal lobbying data and an analysis of disclosures across all 50 states, the company spent has spent more than $2 million since January 2025, including nearly $1.3 million on federal lobbying and at least $1 million more at the state level.

We track the money tracking you:

Flock Safety has spent $2 million on lobbying since 2025 as the surveillance company faces scrutiny over its license plate tracking cameras.

08/26/2026

CHART OF THE WEEK 📈📉: Republican leadership PACs are outpacing their Democratic counterparts this cycle.

GOP-affiliated leadership PACs have distributed $34.9 million to candidates through June 30, compared to $24.2 million from Democratic leadership PACs. That gap continues a longer trend:

Democratic leadership PACs have out-given Republicans at this point in the cycle only four times since OpenSecrets began tracking this data in 1990, most recently in 2010, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress.

Read more: https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/08/republicans-outpacing-democrats-in-leadership-pac-giving-for-2026-cycle/

08/20/2026

Our latest analysis reveals that two-thirds of individual contributions made to candidates in nine key Senate races is coming from out-of-state donors.

Fourteen of 17 major candidates raised the majority of their individual funds from people outside their home states, continuing a decades-long decline in local campaign funding.

Read more:

As Senate battleground races have gone national, candidates are far more reliant on out-of-state donors than voters they hope to represent.

08/17/2026

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From campaign donations to lobbying expenditures to dark money networks, our nonpartisan research equips citizens, journalists and policymakers with unbiased data.

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08/14/2026

The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the 88th attorney general of the United States on Aug. 8, in a narrow 50-49 vote. We're taking a closer look at his past political activity, connections, and personal finances.

Read more:

The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as the 88th attorney general of the United States on Aug. 8. Follow the money that led to his appointment.

08/12/2026

Ahead of Alaska's Aug. 18 primary, two super PACs have spent nearly $2 million on the state's U.S. Senate race.

Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola hold clear leads in both fundraising and polling. The outside money is going toward boosting the opposite party's secondary candidates, an apparent effort to influence the primary outcome.

But because Alaska uses a top-four ranked-choice system, that strategy may not pay off. Full story:

In the days leading up to Alaska’s primary, two super PACs have poured $2M into the Senate race to tear support away from the front-runners.

08/11/2026

Lobbying spending totaled nearly $1.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, the second-highest Q2 total since Congress began requiring quarterly disclosures in 2008.

That's a modest 0.5% dip, about $6.9 million, from the same period last year, when Q2 spending set a record. It also follows a record-breaking $1.4 billion during the first quarter of the year.

Pharmaceutical companies, major manufacturers, and tech firms ranked among the top spenders at the midpoint of 2026. We break down the top firm recipients and biggest spenders.

Read more:

Federal lobbying spending neared $1.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, slightly off recently set record highs.

08/10/2026

CHART OF THE WEEK📊: The fundraising chase for Minnesota's open Senate seat is underway.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Angie Craig has raised $12.7 million, roughly double Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan's total, and holds $3.6 million on hand to Flanagan's $1.1 million.

On the Republican side, sports journalist Michele Tafoya leads the field with $5.3 million raised and $1.3 million on hand, ahead of former NBA player Royce White, retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, and retired Navy officer Tom Weiler.