Defending Democracy Together spent $16M on independent expenditures 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, 78% ended up on the winning side ($12M won, $3.5M lost).
Outside spending
$16M
On the winning side
78%
$12M
On the losing side
$3.5M
Supporting vs attacking
15% / 85%
$2.3M for, $13M against
Google says Defending Democracy Together also spent $1.2M on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (8% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →
Where the money went
Biggest targets, with whether each one paid off.
Questions people ask
- How much did Defending Democracy Together spend in 2020, and did it win?
- Defending Democracy Together spent $16M on independent expenditures 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, 78% ended up on the winning side ($12M won, $3.5M lost).
- Which candidates did Defending Democracy Together spend the most on in 2020?
- against Donald Trump (President, $9.8M, won); against Donald Trump (President, $3.5M, lost); for Joe Biden (President, $2.3M, won).