Party Financial Activity Summarized for the 2006 Election Cycle

For Immediate Release                                                   Contact:   Bob Biersack
March 7, 2007                                                                               Michelle Ryan
                                                                                                   George Smaragdis

PARTY FINANCIAL ACTIVITY SUMMARIZED FOR THE 2006 ELECTION CYCLE

WASHINGTON – Federal committees of the two major parties raised and spent nearly $1.1 billion between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2006, according to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) compilation of information from reports submitted by party committees at the national, state, and local levels. 

  Republican national, state, and local party committees that report to the FEC raised $602.3 million during 2005-2006 in federally permissible “hard money.” Democratic party committees raised $483.1 million during the same period.  Democratic party receipts more than doubled compared with 2002, the most recent cycle in which there was no Presidential campaign, while Republican party fundraising grew by 42%.  In 2006 individuals could contribute as much as $26,700 to a national party committee while PACs could contribute up to $15,000 but no direct contributions from corporations or labor organizations are permitted.

Overall, the parties’ national committee fundraising totals nearly equaled their 2002 campaign cycle totals, the last year that the national party committees could raise “soft money.”  The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) prohibited national party committees from raising or spending money outside the limits and prohibitions of federal election law. 

              The following table shows “hard money” fundraising in the 2004 and 2006 election cycles (following the passage of BCRA) compared with both hard and soft money receipts in previous cycles.

National Party Fundraising

(Millions of Dollars)

Party spending in direct support of congressional candidates increased substantially in 2006.  Democratic party committees reported a total of $108.1 million in independent expenditures, which advocated the election or defeat of specific House and Senate candidates but were not coordinated with those campaigns.  Of this total, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee alone reported independent expenditures of $64.1 million on House candidates. In addition, Democratic committees spent $20.7 million in coordinated expenditures on behalf of general election candidates.  Unlike independent expenditures, the law imposes limits on this spending for each candidate.  Republican party committees reported $115.6 million in independent expenditures (with the National Republican Congressional Committee making $82.1 million in independent expenditures) and $14.2 million in coordinated expenditures. According to election reports, roughly 85% of independent expenditures made by both national parties advocated the defeat of identified candidates.

Sources of receipts for national party committees are examined in more detail in tables attached to this release.  These tables show that all national committees substantially increased their contributions from individuals and also the financial support they received from federal candidates.  Particularly noteworthy were the number and size of transfers from Members of Congress to their respective party campaign committees.  These are listed in separate tables for each party recipient.                                                                                                        

Tables in this release also provide financial overviews for national and state/local committees of the two major parties.  Transfers from national to state parties are listed by state.  Finally, direct party involvement in congressional campaigns is tallied for each candidate who received party support in the general election.

Democratic Party Committee Financial Activity Through December 31, 2006  [EXCEL] [PDF]

Republican Party Committee Financial Activity Through December 31, 2006  [EXCEL] [PDF]

Sources of Receipts - DNC and RNC [EXCEL] [PDF]

Sources of Receipts - Senatorial Campaign Committees [EXCEL] [PDF]

Sources of Receipts - Congressional Campaign Committees [EXCEL] [PDF]

National Party Transfers to States  [EXCEL] [PDF]

Campaign Transfers to the DSCC and NRSC [EXCEL] [PDF]

Campaign Transfers to the DCCC and NRCC[EXCEL] [PDF]

Party Activity in Senate Campaigns [EXCEL] [PDF]

Party Activity in House Campaigns [EXCEL] [PDF]

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