Research Data
Data & Downloads
All data underlying this analysis is available as clean CSV files matching the schema in the data dictionary. All figures are in nominal U.S. dollars (millions), by federal election cycle.
Total cost of federal elections by cycle (2000–2024, $M)
| Cycle | Total cost | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $3,100M | presidential |
| 2002 | $2,200M | midterm |
| 2004 | $4,100M | presidential |
| 2006 | $2,900M | midterm |
| 2008 | $5,300M | presidential |
| 2010 | $3,600M | midterm |
| 2012 | $6,300M | presidential |
| 2014 | $3,800M | midterm |
| 2016 | $6,500M | presidential |
| 2018 | $5,700M | midterm |
| 2020 | $15,100M | presidential |
| 2022 | $8,900M | midterm |
| 2024 | $14,800M | presidential |
Source: OpenSecrets, "Cost of Election" (federal, nominal). 2020 revised to $15.1B; 2024 preliminary. 2022 is federal only ($16.7B figure includes state races).
Total cost in constant 2024 dollars (CPI-U adjusted, $M)
| Cycle | Nominal | Real (2024 $) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $3,100M | $5,647M |
| 2002 | $2,200M | $3,836M |
| 2004 | $4,100M | $6,808M |
| 2006 | $2,900M | $4,512M |
| 2008 | $5,300M | $7,722M |
| 2010 | $3,600M | $5,179M |
| 2012 | $6,300M | $8,608M |
| 2014 | $3,800M | $5,035M |
| 2016 | $6,500M | $8,495M |
| 2018 | $5,700M | $7,121M |
| 2020 | $15,100M | $18,302M |
| 2022 | $8,900M | $9,540M |
| 2024 | $14,800M | $14,800M |
Sources: OpenSecrets "Cost of Election" (nominal) + BLS CPI-U annual averages. In real terms 2020 ($18.3B) was the costliest cycle — well above 2024 ($14.8B). CPI-U 2024 = 313.689.
Outside spending by cycle (independent expenditures, $M)
| Cycle | Total IE | Super PACs | Hybrid PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $1,250.5M | $606.8M | $12.9M |
| 2014 | $787.8M | $339.4M | $2.6M |
| 2016 | $1,631M | $1,100M | $46.7M |
| 2018 | $1,301M | $820.5M | $72.9M |
| 2020 | $3,143.7M | $2,000M | $552.2M |
| 2022 | $2,255M | $1,300M | $555M |
| 2024 | $4,426.5M | $2,723.8M | $1,372.3M |
| 2026* | $56.4M | $45.7M | $8.4M |
Source: FEC end-of-cycle statistical summaries (verified per cycle). The FEC reported super PAC and hybrid figures for every cycle including 2012; 2014 is congressional only (midterm). Super PAC + hybrid do not sum to the total because parties, other PACs, and individuals also make independent expenditures. *2026 is in progress — figures are the FEC 12-month interim summary (through 2025-12-31) and are not comparable to full-cycle rows.
Dark money by cycle (undisclosed-donor spending, $M)
| Cycle | Dark money | Source / method |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $139M | OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07) |
| 2012 | $312.5M | OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07) |
| 2014 | $180.3M | OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07) |
| 2016 | $183.5M | OpenSecrets dark-money summary (restated series; verified 2026-07-07) |
| 2020 | $1,000M | OpenSecrets (2021) |
| 2024 | $1,900M | Brennan Center (2025) |
Sources: OpenSecrets (2010–2016, and 2020) and Brennan Center (2024). The 2020/2024 estimates use a broader method (adding undisclosed TV and digital) — not comparable to the 2010–2016 series.
2024 dark money by channel ($M)
| Channel | Amount |
|---|---|
| Contributions to super PACs | $1,300M |
| Online ad spending | $315M |
| Television ad spending | $242M |
| Direct spending reported to FEC | $43M |
Source: Brennan Center (2025). De-duplicated; sums to ~$1.9B. Direct FEC-reported spending was just $43M — under 2.5% of the total.
2024 dark money by partisan lean ($M)
| Lean | Amount |
|---|---|
| Democratic-aligned | $1,200M |
| Republican-aligned | $664M |
Source: Brennan Center (2025). Approximate; does not sum to $1.9B (some spending is unaligned). More dark money has favored Democrats every cycle since 2018.
Download all data
Data dictionary
Full schema: data_dictionary.md is included in the dataset download. Key notes:
- All dollar fields are
_musd— nominal U.S. dollars, millions - Figures are by two-year election
cycle, labeled by the even (election) year - "Super PAC" = FEC independent-expenditure-only committees; "hybrid PAC" = committees with non-contribution accounts
- Super PAC + hybrid don't sum to total IE — parties, other PACs, and individuals also spend independently
- Dark money 2010–2016 and 2020–2024 use different methods — treat as two series, not one continuous trend
- CSV 05 is in constant 2024 dollars (BLS CPI-U); all other files are nominal