Donor
James Simons
IndividualPhilanthropist, Renaissance Technologies · New York
17 gifts to 4 groups, as reported to the FEC by the groups that received them.
James Simons gave $15M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2024 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2024). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 19% ended up on the winning side ($2.3M won, $10M lost).
Gave to outside spenders
$15M
100% of it helped Democrats
Ended up on the winning side
19%
$2.3M of the dollars in races already called
Spent on the losing side
$10M
Not spent yet
$2.2M
Sitting with groups that have not spent
Where the cheques went
| Group | Gave | How the group spent it | Won / lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Future Forward (FF PAC) $1.0M not spent yet | $9.1M | $0 / $8.1M | |
| House Majority PAC $1.1M not spent yet | $5.5M | $2.3M / $2.0M | |
| DCCC $12K not spent yet | $41K | $16K / $12K | |
| Moveon.Org Political Action $223 not spent yet | $280 | $1 / $55 |
The trail
What the money bought
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Their share | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamala Harris | President | Supporting | $8.1M | ✗ No |
| Austin Theriault | Maine 2nd District | Attacking | $202K | ✓ Yes |
| Tom Barrett | Michigan 7th District | Attacking | $175K | ✗ No |
| Sandy Smith | North Carolina 1st District | Attacking | $171K | ✓ Yes |
| Scott Baugh | California 47th District | Attacking | $168K | ✓ Yes |
| John Duarte | California 13th District | Attacking | $156K | ✓ Yes |
| Ryan E. Mackenzie | Pennsylvania 7th District | Attacking | $154K | ✗ No |
| Anthony P. D'Esposito | New York 4th District | Attacking | $153K | ✓ Yes |
| Mike Garcia | California 27th District | Attacking | $153K | ✓ Yes |
| Michelle Steel | California 45th District | Attacking | $146K | ✓ Yes |
| Rob Bresnahan Jr. | Pennsylvania 8th District | Attacking | $143K | ✗ No |
| John James | Michigan 10th District | Attacking | $140K | ✗ No |
Individual as classified from the FEC entity type and public reporting.
Questions people ask
- How much did James Simons spend on the 2024 elections, and did it win?
- James Simons gave $15M to super PACs and other outside groups in the 2024 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Democrats (FEC filings through Dec 31, 2024). Counting dollars, not candidates, and only races already called, 19% ended up on the winning side ($2.3M won, $10M lost).
- Which super PACs did James Simons fund in 2024?
- Future Forward (FF PAC) ($9.1M), House Majority PAC ($5.5M), DCCC ($41K), Moveon.Org Political Action ($280).
- Which candidates did James Simons's money end up backing or attacking in 2024?
- for Kamala Harris (President, about $8.1M, lost); against Austin Theriault (Maine 2nd District, about $202K, won); against Tom Barrett (Michigan 7th District, about $175K, lost). Amounts are the donor's share of each group's spending.