FEC summarizes first 15 months of campaign activity for 2015-2016 election cycle

The Commission has released its statistical summary of 15-month campaign activity for the 2015-2016 election cycle. This summary covers funds raised and spent in connection with federal elections between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016.

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Presidential candidates
Presidential candidates raised $735.3 million and spent $671.1 million during the first 15 months of the 2015-2016 election cycle. The 93 presidential candidates who had filed campaign finance reports also disclosed combined totals of $50.8 million in debts and $67.8 million in cash on hand as of March 31, 2016.

Congressional candidates
Candidates for the U.S. House and Senate running in the 2016 election cycle reported raising a combined $796.9 million and spending $423.6 million between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016. The 165 Senate candidates reported total receipts of $274.2 million, disbursements of $130.5 million, debts of $15.9 million and cash-on-hand of $241.1 million. Meanwhile, 1,188 House candidates reported total receipts of $522.7 million, disbursements of $293.1 million, debts of $53.4 million and cash-on-hand of $408.4 million. (Note that these figures include activity in connection with several special elections in 2015 and 2016.)

Political party committees
For the 2015-2016 election cycle through March 31, 2016, national, state and local political party committees reported combined total receipts of $647.1 million in federal funds, disbursements of $492.6 million, debts of $17.8 million, and cash-on-hand of $179 million. Individuals were the largest source of federal funds for party committees.

Legislation signed into law in December 2014 enabled national party committees to establish accounts to defray expenses incurred with respect to presidential nominating conventions, national party headquarters buildings and election recounts and contests. The resulting new accounts reported receiving a combined total of $59.9 million between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016.

Political action committees (PACs)
Based on reports filed with the Commission for the 2015-16 election cycle through March 31, 2016, 7,774 federal PACs reported total receipts of $1.9 billion, disbursements of $1.6 billion, debts of $23.7 million and combined cash-on-hand of $800.8 million. Contributions by PACs to presidential and congressional candidates seeking office in the 2015-2016 election cycle totaled $1.6 million and $249.8 million, respectively, as of March 31, 2016.

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Independent expenditures
Independent expenditures reported to the Commission through March 31, 2016 in connection with presidential and congressional elections in the 2015-2016 election cycle totaled $310.5 million.

Independent expenditure-only political committees (Super PACs) accounted for $275.6 million of all independent expenditures disclosed to the Commission, while committees with non-contribution accounts (Hybrid PACs) reported spending $4.4 million, and other PACs reported spending $7.1 million. Independent expenditures made by persons other than political committees totaled $23 million, and party committees reported independent expenditures totaling $412,097.

Other reportable communications
Electioneering communications filings totaled $838,979 in the 2015-2016 election cycle through March 31, 2016. An electioneering communication is a broadcast, cable or satellite communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate (but that does not contain express advocacy) and is distributed within 30 days prior to a primary election or within 60 days prior to a general election. See 52 U.S.C. § 30104(f) and 11 CFR 100.29 and 104.20.

Express advocacy communications by corporations and labor organizations to their "restricted classes,"(i.e., "Communications Costs") must be disclosed when the cost exceeds $2,000 per election. See 52 U.S.C. § 30101(9)(B)(iii) and 11 CFR 100.134 and 104.6. The Commission received 20 such filings disclosing spending of $5.3 million between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016.

Data summary tables for reports submitted to the Commission through March 31, 2016 are listed below for:

• Presidential candidate committees;
• Congressional candidate committees;
• Political party committees;
• PACs; and
• Independent expenditures, electioneering communications and communications costs

Resources:

• FEC statistical summary (June 27, 2016)
• Campaign finance disclosure portal