Registering a candidate
An individual running for the House, Senate or President becomes a candidate when they raise or spend more than $5,000 in contributions or expenditures. Candidates must register using a Statement of Candidacy (Form 2) within 15 days after becoming a candidate. A candidate, including an incumbent, must file a Statement of Candidacy for each election cycle in which they are a candidate.
Reporting on candidate forms
All federal candidates register using the Statement of Candidacy, Form 2.
On Line 1, enter the name and mailing address of the candidate.
On Line 2, enter the candidate’s identification number. Candidates should leave this field blank it they:
- Have never run before
- Seek a different federal office (this does not include running in another district)
The FEC will assign a candidate identification number upon receipt of Form 2. Candidates should use their original identification number when they are: seeking reelection, updating their congressional district for any reason (including redistricting) and when they have terminated a previous candidacy but are now running again for the same federal office.
On Line 3, check “New” if you are filing Form 2 for the first time for this particular office (e.g., House, Senate or President), or if you have previously filed a Form 2 for House or Senate, but for a different state. Check “Amended” if you have previously filed a Form 2 for the same office (in the same state, for House and Senate candidates). If you are running in a different district in the same state for the same office, check “Amended.”
On Lines 4-6, enter the candidate’s party affiliation, office sought, state and district, if applicable.
On Line 7, enter the candidate’s year of election and information about the candidate’s principal campaign committee. Each candidate for federal office (other than a nominee for the office of Vice President) must designate in writing a political committee to serve as his or her principal campaign committee. The name of the principal campaign committee must include the name of the candidate. Include the full name and street address of the candidate’s principal campaign committee on Line 7. Please note that if the candidate designates a new principal campaign committee, the committee must file a Statement of Organization within 10 days of filing the Form 2.
On Line 8, the candidate must fill in the name and address of any other authorized committees. An authorized committee is any political committee, including the principal campaign committee, authorized in writing by a federal candidate to receive contributions and make expenditures on their behalf. This includes joint fundraising representatives. Note that the name of any committee authorized by the candidate must include the name of the candidate. Include the full name and address of any authorized committees on Line 8.
The candidate must sign and date the Statement of Candidacy at the bottom of the page.
The beginning of the Statement of Candidacy shows general information about the candidate, Martha Washington, including her address.
Since this is the first time Martha is running for office, she does not have an FEC candidate ID number to include on Line 2. When the candidate ID number is assigned, she will include it on amended Statements of Candidacy that she files.
Martha lists her political party affiliation, and that she's running for the House of Representatives in Virginia's first congressional district on Lines 4-6.
On Line 7, Martha designates a principal campaign committee for the 2018 election. She lists the official name of the committee - Martha Washington for Congress - and its address.
Since her principal campaign committee is involved in joint fundraising, Martha lists the joint fundraising representative Friends of Martha and its address on Line 8.
At the bottom of the Statement of Candidacy, Martha signs and dates the form.
Amending the Statement of Candidacy
A candidate must report any change or correction of information contained in the Statement of Candidacy within 10 days after the change. A candidate may have to file an amendment, for example, to report changes to the candidate’s office sought, state, district, or party affiliation. If a candidate authorizes additional political committees to accept contributions or make expenditures of his or her behalf, such as authorizing a joint fundraising committee, then the candidate must file an amended Form 2 within 10 days to update the information.
When a candidate amends information on the Statement of Candidacy, these changes must also be reflected on an amended Form 1.
Reporting with Webforms
To create a new Statement of Candidacy, go to the online webform and select “New.” Complete all required fields and click “Submit” to upload the form to the FEC.
If the candidate previously ran for a different federal office or in a different state, select “Skip” in the pop-up window when asked if you are creating a duplicate candidate.
Choose "New" or "Amended" depending on the type of Statement of Candidacy that is being filed.
To amend a Statement of Candidacy, go to the online webform and select “Amended.” Enter the committee’s FEC ID and electronic filing password. Select the candidate’s most recent Form 2 from the list. Update any fields with new information and click “Submit” to upload the form to the FEC.
If the candidate needs to file an amended Form 2, but does not have an electronic filing password, please call the Reports Analysis Division at 1-800-424-9530, Option 5 for assistance using the online webform.
Reporting with FECFile
To create a new Statement of Candidacy, go to the Reports tab, right click and select ”new.” Then select “Form 2 (Statement of Candidacy).”
To amend a Statement of Candidacy, go to the Reports tab, click on the existing Statement of Candidacy in the list, right click on the report and select “amend.”
