Donor
Stewart Bainum Jr.
IndividualChairman, Choice Hotels · Maryland
3 gifts to 3 groups, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Stewart Bainum Jr. gave $2.1M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 95% ended up on the winning side ($1.7M won, $90K lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$2.1M
100% of it helped Democrats
Ended up on the winning side
95%
$1.7M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$90K
Not spent yet
$259K
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
A person writing cheques from their own fortune. Each gift is split the way the group that received it split its spending between winners and losers, so a $10M cheque to a group that spent 80% on losers counts as $8M on the losing side.
✓ Backed the winner or attacked the loser ✗ Backed the loser or attacked the winner Result not matched
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unite the Country $245K not spent yet | $2.0M | $1.7M / $48K | |
| DSCC $13K not spent yet | $35K | $3K / $18K | |
| DCCC | $29K | $5K / $24K |
The trail
What the money bought
The candidates Stewart Bainum Jr.'s money was spent for or against, pro-rated by Stewart Bainum Jr.'s share of each group's funding.
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | President (primary) | Supporting | $1.7M | ✓ Yes |
| Donald Trump | President (primary) | Attacking | $63K | ✗ No |
| Joni Ernst | Iowa Senate | Attacking | $7K | ✗ No |
| Thom Tilllis | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $6K | ✗ No |
| Steve Daines | Montana Senate | Attacking | $4K | ✗ No |
| Martha McSally | Arizona Senate | Attacking | $2K | ✓ Yes |
| Mike Garcia | California 25th District | Attacking | $1K | ✗ No |
| Yvette Herrell | New Mexico 2nd District | Attacking | $1K | ✗ No |
| David G. Valadao | California 21st District | Attacking | $1K | ✗ No |
| Susan Margaret Collins | Maine Senate | Attacking | $1K | ✗ No |
| Beth Van Duyne | Texas 24th District | Attacking | $986 | ✗ No |
| Mariannette Miller-Meeks | Iowa 2nd District | Attacking | $950 | ✗ No |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Stewart Bainum Jr. spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- Stewart Bainum Jr. gave $2.1M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 95% ended up on the winning side ($1.7M won, $90K lost).
- Which super PACs did Stewart Bainum Jr. fund in 2020?
- Unite the Country ($2.0M), DSCC ($35K), DCCC ($29K).
- Which candidates did Stewart Bainum Jr.'s money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- for Joe Biden (President, about $1.7M, won); against Donald Trump (President, about $63K, lost); against Joni Ernst (Iowa Senate, about $7K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.