[link removed] [[link removed]] DECEMBER 18, 2025
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Fundraising skills may not be a constitutional requirement for congressional candidates but it is a necessity, as the cost of winning —even safe seats — continues to rise. Also this week, we take a look at retiring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's impressive small-dollar fundraising skills and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' background. Plus, we introduce a new feature: the money-in-politics quiz.
Congressional seats, even the safe ones, don’t come cheap
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To run for Congress, candidates must satisfy three constitutional qualifications: meet the minimum age requirement, be a U.S. citizen and reside in the state they seek to represent.
But, heading into the 2026 cycle, it is clear there is one additional, unofficial requirement: They must be able to raise several million dollars, Emily Goodin reports .
The total cost of congressional races in 2024 was $9.5 billion, including spending by outside groups, according to OpenSecrets data [[link removed]] . And that high cost of a political campaign comes at a cost to constituents – who can see their lawmaker become beholden to wealthy donors outside the district. It also results in fewer candidates, particularly among the middle class, women and minorities.
“The price of campaigning is just a very tough barrier for everyday people to overcome,” said Marina Pino, an expert on money and politics at the Brennan Center for Justice. “2024 was the first time in the country’s history that the majority of Congress were millionaires. And its members from the working class backgrounds comprise only 2% of Congress.”
A June 2021 study from OpenSecrets [[link removed]] found that “white men running for office consistently dominate in fundraising. Whatever fundraising advantages may help women seem to primarily help white women, and whatever fundraising advantages may help people of color seem to primarily help men.”
Senate contests are often costlier than House races due to their statewide scope. Still, winning a House seat can require raising millions.
Consider:
* Republican Rep. Robert Aderholt, who represents an Alabama district considered one of the safest in the nation. It has less than a million people, per the 2020 census, and is in the rural, northern part of the state. He still raised $1.5 million in 2024 [[link removed]] to win another term in office.
* Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown raised $100 million last year [[link removed]] for re-election to his Ohio seat. And he lost.
* In Virginia’s 7th district [[link removed]] , the Democratic candidate, Lt. Col. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, raised nearly $18 million to win the election. It was one of the most competitive House races in 2024, with Republican candidate Derrick Anderson raising just $3.4 million, yet losing by just 10,400 votes. Outside groups contributed another $14 million in spending.
* Democrat Derek Tran raised $6.4 million and won California’s 45th district [[link removed]] , beating incumbent Republican Michelle Steel, who raised $10.4 million. Outside groups spent $34 million on that House race, which OpenSecrets found was the most expensive House race last cycle [[link removed]] . Elon Musk’s America PAC [[link removed]] spent almost $800,000 supporting Steel’s campaign and more than $500,000 running ads against Tran.
* Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat who became the first member of Generation Z to join Congress, maxed out his credit cards to win Florida’s 10th district seat in 2022. In the aftermath, his credit rating plummeted and he struggled to rent an apartment in Washington, D.C.
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Quiz: Are you dark money savvy?
OpenSecrets has spent more than 40 years following the money. But over the past 15 years, our work has become considerably more difficult due to the rise of “dark money.”
Many Americans do not understand dark money or how it impacts elections. Take our quiz to see where you stand. And maybe you’ll learn something new about election transparency along the way.
What is "dark money"?
Money spent on the dark web to influence elections [[link removed]]
Political spending by groups that do not disclose their donors, such as nonprofits [[link removed]]
Illegal campaign contributions [[link removed]]
Foreign money in U.S. elections [[link removed]]
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Looking for thoughtful, meaningful gifts this holiday season? Our merch store has you covered — and every purchase directly supports our work to provide trustworthy data, analysis and tools for policymakers, journalists and engaged citizens.
Our debut collection includes a hoodie, crewneck, t-shirt and hat, all designed to spark conversation and show your commitment to transparency. And you can feel good about your purchase: every item is made by a certified ethical, sweat-free manufacturer.
Wear your values — and give a gift that makes a difference.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene heads for the exit having blazed a controversy-fueled fundraising trail
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced last month she will resign from Congress, citing frustration with party leadership and her fallout with President Donald Trump. Her rift with leadership is visible not only in her rhetoric but also in her fundraising profile, which relies heavily on small donors and only minimally on contributions from political action committees, writes Hien An Ngo .
Greene’s reliance on individual donors has given her the freedom to operate with little regard [[link removed]] for the wants of the GOP leadership. She’s broken with the party’s upper echelon on issues like the war in Gaza and releasing documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
She has repeatedly turned controversy [[link removed]] into fuel for campaign fundraising. After winning her first term in 2020, she quickly learned how to rake in small-donor donations by stoking controversy and garnering headlines. Since her first election, contributions to Greene’s campaigns have increasingly come from small donors.
Bar chart showing total contributions by members of the Marines, by part of recipients, by election cycle since 2000 [[link removed]]
In the most recent election, Greene received 72.7 percent of her campaign dollars from small-dollar donors, the highest share of any federal lawmaker. (Members of Congress as a whole raised 27.6 percent [[link removed]] of their dollar contributions from individual small donors [[link removed]] .) High-profile candidates, like Greene, and candidates who campaign on rejecting corporate PAC money, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [[link removed]] (D-N.Y.), often have high shares [[link removed]] of contributions from small donors.
Greene received just $35,250 from PACs [[link removed]] , which made up less than 0.005 percent of total contributions to her campaign. The majority of those contributions come from ideological PACs, leadership PACs and candidate committees, rather than corporate and industry PACs.
Greene has been particularly outspoken on Israel over the past year, and as she clashed with Trump, she proudly touted [[link removed]] that she’s never received contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee [[link removed]] .
Bar chart showing total contributions by members of the Marines, by part of recipients, by election cycle since 2000 [[link removed]]
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Right now, your gift goes twice as far
We are now in the final month of our biggest fundraiser of the year: NewsMatch, a nationwide campaign to support nonprofit journalism. There’s never been a more critical time to protect independent newsrooms like ours — newsrooms that provide an essential public service to the American people.
From now until Dec. 31, we have an opportunity to boost the impact of donations to OpenSecrets, which will help power our newsroom into 2026. Here’s how it works:
NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift , for new gifts up to $1,000.
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a donor to OpenSecrets or want to double your gift this year, this is the best time to do it. Your support will get our NewsMatch campaign off to a solid start and help keep us going strong.
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Who is Susie Wiles?
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Earlier this week, Vanity Fair published a profile of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in which she spoke candidly about President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance a number of Cabinet members.
The Trump administration has rallied around Wiles, even though she was very critical of many of her colleagues.
So who is Susie Wiles? Earlier this year, OpenSecrets dug into her political and lobbying career to examine how her past work could impact Trump policies.
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What else we're reading
Scoop: Musk diving into 2026 midterms for the GOP [[link removed]] (Axios)
Deep-pocketed groups are already spending on the Maine U.S. Senate race. Here’s an early guide [[link removed]] (Maine Public)
Oklahoma’s database of campaign spending and lobbyists is off-line, and the public is paying for it [[link removed]] (Oklahoma Voice )
Campaign spending patterns in Virginia statewide elections [[link removed]] (The Center Square)
OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
More money, more corruption require more attention, nonprofit says [[link removed]] (The Washington Post)
Braseth, 36, is now almost two years into running OpenSecrets and has set about on a mission to both revamp the organization and, perhaps more important, defeat the cynicism that surrounds the transparency movement. Hoping to make a “critical backbone” for voters seeking information, OpenSecrets’ staff of about 20 has maintained a website that can easily track the flow and trends of money going into politics.
California’s role in shaping the fate of the Democratic Party and combating Trump on full display [[link removed]] (Los Angeles Times)
Elected officials from across the nation are drawn to California because of its wellspring of wealthy political donors. The state was the largest source of contributions to the campaign committees of Trump and Harris during the 2024 presidential contest, contributing nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization OpenSecrets, which tracks electoral finances.
Top Democrats call for investigation into share-buying spree by Trump allies [[link removed]] (The Guardian)
Individuals connected to Venture Global spent $860,000 on lobbying on Capitol Hill in 2024, and another $810,000 so far this year, according to OpenSecrets, a non-profit campaign finance watchdog. This is more than 12-fold the previous high of $70,000 in 2019.
Rep. Valerie Foushee Gets a Primary Challenger Backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders [[link removed]] (NOTUS)
Foushee’s campaign committee and leadership PAC received roughly $30,500 from the pharmaceutical and health products industry in 2024, according to OpenSecrets.
JD Vance touts Donald Trump’s economy to shift message on cost of living [[link removed]] (Financial Times)
It was hardly a coincidence that Vance spoke at a warehouse for Uline, the shipping and packaging materials giant. Uline’s owners, billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, are among the Republican party’s biggest donors. The family spent nearly $144mn in support of Trump’s campaign and Republican candidates and causes in the 2024 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.
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