Donor
Michael Smith
IndividualConsultant, Kaitar Resources · Colorado
649 gifts to 15 groups, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
Michael Smith gave $2.5M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2022 federal elections, and 90% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2022). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 48% ended up on the winning side ($1.0M won, $1.1M lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$2.5M
90% of it helped Republicans
Ended up on the winning side
48%
$1.0M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$1.1M
Not spent yet
$419K
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Leadership Fund $284K not spent yet | $2.0M | $717K / $998K | |
| Alaskans for L.I.S.a. (Leadership in a Strong Alaska) $15K not spent yet | $200K | $185K / $0 | |
| Carolina Senate Fund $16K not spent yet | $110K | $0 / $71K | |
| DSCC $46K not spent yet | $84K | $34K / $3K | |
| DCCC $14K not spent yet | $74K | $46K / $15K | |
| Alabama Conservatives Fund $3K not spent yet | $25K | $22K / $0 | |
| NRSC $11K not spent yet | $17K | $2K / $4K | |
| NRCC | $5K | $2K / $3K | |
| Senate Majority PAC $1K not spent yet | $3K | $1K / $355 | |
| National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund | $1K | $212 / $1K | |
| The Lincoln Project $1K not spent yet | $1K | $24 / $56 | |
| Senate Conservatives Fund $54 not spent yet | $1K | $459 / $96 | |
| Moveon.Org Political Action $845 not spent yet | $995 | $31 / $114 | |
| Congressional Black Caucus PAC $551 not spent yet | $940 | $226 / $163 | |
| National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee $552 not spent yet | $900 | $273 / $44 |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John K. Fetterman | Pennsylvania Senate | Attacking | $332K | ✗ No |
| Raphael Warnock | Georgia Senate | Attacking | $316K | ✗ No |
| Cheri Beasley | North Carolina Senate | Attacking | $267K | ✓ Yes |
| Tim Ryan | Ohio Senate | Attacking | $227K | ✓ Yes |
| Lisa Murkowski | Alaska Senate (primary) | Supporting | $185K | ✓ Yes |
| Mandela Barnes | Wisconsin Senate | Attacking | $183K | ✓ Yes |
| Catherine Cortez Masto | Nevada Senate | Attacking | $179K | ✗ No |
| Ted Budd | North Carolina Senate (primary) | Attacking | $71K | ✗ No |
| Donald C. Bolduc | New Hampshire Senate | Supporting | $65K | ✗ No |
| Herschel Junior Walker | Georgia Senate | Supporting | $62K | ✗ No |
| Maggie Hassan | New Hampshire Senate | Attacking | $48K | ✗ No |
| Kelly C. Tshibaka | Alaska Senate | Attacking | $43K | ✓ Yes |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did Michael Smith spend on the 2022 elections, and did it win?
- Michael Smith gave $2.5M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2022 federal elections, and 90% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2022). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 48% ended up on the winning side ($1.0M won, $1.1M lost).
- Which super PACs did Michael Smith fund in 2022?
- Senate Leadership Fund ($2.0M), Alaskans for L.I.S.a. (Leadership in a Strong Alaska) ($200K), Carolina Senate Fund ($110K), DSCC ($84K), DCCC ($74K).
- Which candidates did Michael Smith's money end up backing or attacking in 2022?
- against John K. Fetterman (Pennsylvania Senate, about $332K, lost); against Raphael Warnock (Georgia Senate, about $316K, lost); against Cheri Beasley (North Carolina Senate, about $267K, won). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.