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About This Project
What this is
This site tracks the rise of outside and undisclosed money in U.S. federal elections since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision: total independent expenditures by cycle, the emergence and dominance of super PACs, and the growth of "dark money" from groups that don't disclose their donors. It is intended as a durable, sourced reference for general readers, journalists, researchers, and democracy and reform advocates.
This is the high-level view. It does not yet break spending down by individual committee, donor, race, or party — that detail is planned. The goal for now is an honest, well-sourced picture of the overall trend.
Where the numbers come from
Outside-spending totals are reported figures from the Federal Election Commission's end-of-cycle statistical summaries — these are disclosed amounts, not estimates, and are comparable across cycles. Dark-money figures are independent estimates: OpenSecrets for 2010–2016, and the Brennan Center for Justice for 2020 and 2024. All sources are listed on the Sources page.
Who built it
This project is published by Black Mesa Research Labs (BMRL), an independent research operation. BMRL produces structured datasets and long-form analysis on public-interest topics. It is not affiliated with any political party, candidate, campaign, PAC, or government agency.
An honest framing
Two cautions. First, the dark-money series mixes methods: the 2010–2016 figures count only spending reported to the FEC by non-disclosing groups, while the 2020 and 2024 figures add undisclosed television and digital advertising. They are not directly comparable, and part of the apparent jump is better measurement. Second, all figures are nominal dollars — not adjusted for inflation — so some of the long-run growth reflects rising prices and the overall cost of campaigns. The trend is real and steep regardless, but we don't overstate it.
How to cite
For academic or journalistic use, cite as:
Black Mesa Research Labs. Money in the Shadows: Outside Spending Since Citizens United (2010–2024).
Compiled June 2026. Available at: https://cu.blackmesalabs.org For specific data points, cite the primary source listed in the relevant CSV row or in the sources list. BMRL compiles and structures the data; the originating data belongs to the FEC, OpenSecrets, and the Brennan Center.
Data update schedule
| Source | Cadence | Next expected |
|---|---|---|
| FEC end-of-cycle statistical summary | Per election cycle | Early 2027 (2026 cycle) |
| OpenSecrets outside / dark money | Per cycle (with mid-cycle updates) | 2026 cycle |
| Brennan Center dark-money report | Per cycle | After the 2026 election |
License
The compiled dataset (CSV files and analysis) is released under CC BY 4.0. You may share and adapt it for any purpose with attribution. Underlying FEC data is in the public domain; OpenSecrets and Brennan Center figures belong to those organizations.
Caveats
Spending totals are reported FEC figures; dark-money figures are estimates and the early and recent series use different methods (see above). The 2014 and 2022 outside-spending totals are midterms (no presidential race), and 2012 is not broken out by committee type. All values are nominal U.S. dollars. See the full analysis for detail and the sources for every figure's origin.