Donor
American Petroleum Institute
Company / nonprofitDC
1 gift to 1 group, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
American Petroleum Institute gave $5.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 56% ended up on the winning side ($2.0M won, $1.6M lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$5.0M
97% of it helped Republicans
Ended up on the winning side
56%
$2.0M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$1.6M
Not spent yet
$1.4M
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
A company, LLC or nonprofit. Where its money came from is not reported. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Leadership Fund $1.4M not spent yet | $5.0M | $2.0M / $1.6M |
The trail
What the money bought
The candidates American Petroleum Institute's money was spent for or against, pro-rated by American Petroleum Institute's share of each group's funding.
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Ossoff | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $1.0M | ✗ No |
| Cal Cunningham | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $575K | ✓ Yes |
| Steve Bullock | Montana Senate | Attacking | $299K | ✓ Yes |
| Theresa Greenfield | Iowa Senate | Attacking | $241K | ✓ Yes |
| Gary Peters | Michigan Senate | Attacking | $214K | ✗ No |
| Jaime Harrison | South Carolina Senate | Attacking | $199K | ✓ Yes |
| Barbara Bollier | Kansas Senate | Attacking | $190K | ✓ Yes |
| Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate | Attacking | $181K | ✗ No |
| Sara I. Gideon | Maine Senate | Attacking | $153K | ✓ Yes |
| Joni Ernst | Iowa Senate (primary) | Supporting | $152K | ✓ Yes |
| John W. Hickenlooper | Colorado Senate | Attacking | $98K | ✗ No |
| David A. Perdue | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $89K | ✓ Yes |
Company / nonprofit as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did American Petroleum Institute spend on the 2020 elections, and did it win?
- American Petroleum Institute gave $5.0M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2020 federal elections, and 97% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2020). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 56% ended up on the winning side ($2.0M won, $1.6M lost).
- Which super PACs did American Petroleum Institute fund in 2020?
- Senate Leadership Fund ($5.0M).
- Which candidates did American Petroleum Institute's money end up backing or attacking in 2020?
- against Jon Ossoff (Georgia Senate, about $1.0M, lost); against Cal Cunningham (North Carolina Senate, about $575K, won); against Steve Bullock (Montana Senate, about $299K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.