Congressional Leadership Fund (House Republican leadership) spent $223M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 0% were on the winning side ($635K won, $195M lost, with $27M in races still being counted). $0 had no matched result and is excluded.
Outside spending
$223M
Winning share of scored dollars
0%
$196M scored (88% of spending); $0 unknown
On the losing side
$195M
$27M still being counted
Supporting vs attacking
1% / 99%
$2.6M for, $220M against
Google says Congressional Leadership Fund also spent $17M on Google and YouTube ads this cycle (8% of its FEC-reported outside spending). All ad buyers →
Follow the money
Who filled the envelope
- American Action NetworkDark money$64M (25%)
- Elon MuskIndividual$30M (12%)
- Timothy MellonIndividual$21M (8%)
- Miriam AdelsonIndividual$10M (4%)
- Paul SingerIndividual$8.0M (3%)
- Altria Client Services LLCCompany / nonprofit$5.3M (2%)
- Howard LutnickIndividual$5.0M (2%)
- Ken GriffinIndividual$5.0M (2%)
- J Christopher ReyesIndividual$4.5M (2%)
- American Petroleum InstituteCompany / nonprofit$4.0M (2%)
Where the money went
| Candidate | Race | Spending | Amount | Paid off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christina Hines | Michigan 10th District | Attacking | $15M | ✗ No |
| Don Davis | North Carolina 1st District | Attacking | $13M | ✗ No |
| William Lawrence | Michigan 7th District | Attacking | $12M | ✗ No |
| Cait Conley | New York 17th District | Attacking | $11M | ✗ No |
| Randy Villegas | California 22nd District | Attacking | $9.8M | ✗ No |
| Bob Brooks | Pennsylvania 7th District | Attacking | $8.6M | ✗ No |
| Manny Rutinel | Colorado 8th District | Attacking | $8.4M | ✗ No |
| Vicente Gonzalez | Texas 34th District | Attacking | $7.9M | ✗ No |
| Kathy Castor | Florida 14th District | Attacking | $7.3M | ✗ No |
| Amish Shah | Arizona 1st District | Attacking | $7.1M | Counting |
| Matthew Dunlap | Maine 2nd District | Attacking | $7.0M | Counting |
| Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | Washington 3rd District | Attacking | $6.9M | ✗ No |
Questions people ask
- How much did Congressional Leadership Fund spend in 2026, and did it win?
- Congressional Leadership Fund (House Republican leadership) spent $223M on independent expenditures in the 2026 federal elections, and 100% of it helped Republicans (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). Among dollars with a matched election-stage result, 0% were on the winning side ($635K won, $195M lost, with $27M in races still being counted). $0 had no matched result and is excluded.
- Who funds Congressional Leadership Fund?
- Its biggest reported donors in the 2026 cycle were American Action Network ($64M), Elon Musk ($30M), Timothy Mellon ($21M), Miriam Adelson ($10M), Paul Singer ($8.0M), out of $257M received from donors tracked here.
- Which candidates did Congressional Leadership Fund spend the most on in 2026?
- against Christina Hines (Michigan 10th District, $15M, lost); against Don Davis (North Carolina 1st District, $13M, lost); against William Lawrence (Michigan 7th District, $12M, lost).