Methodology
Every number on PaidForPolitics comes from a public source. Here's exactly where it comes from, how we process it, and what its limitations are.
The primary source for all campaign finance data. The FEC requires disclosure of all contributions over $200 to federal candidates, PACs, and party committees. We use FEC bulk data files for candidate receipts, disbursements, PAC contributions, and independent expenditures. FEC data is public domain with no restrictions on use.
Certified election results by congressional district going back to 1976. Used to calculate total votes cast per race and dollar-per-vote figures. MIT Election Lab data is openly licensed for public use.
Industry classification of FEC donor data. OpenSecrets categorizes every donor by industry using a standardized taxonomy, allowing us to show what percentage of a representative's funding came from finance, health, energy, defense, and other sectors. We use OpenSecrets industry codes to classify raw FEC contribution data.
Roll call vote data for every member of Congress. Used to power the Votes vs. Donors tool. The ProPublica Congress API provides structured access to every vote cast in the House and Senate going back to the 111th Congress (2009).
Dollar Per Vote is calculated by dividing total campaign disbursements (money spent) by the total number of votes cast in the general election for that seat.
Dollar Per Vote = Total Disbursements ÷ Total Votes Cast
Disbursement data comes from FEC candidate committee filings. Vote totals come from MIT Election Lab certified results. Both the winning and losing candidates' spending are included in the total disbursements figure where data is available.
State and national averages are calculated from all contested House races in the same election cycle. Percentile rankings compare a district's dollar-per-vote figure against all other House districts in that cycle.
Donor industries are classified using OpenSecrets' standardized industry taxonomy. Every contribution in a candidate's FEC filing is matched to a donor organization, which is then assigned to an industry category.
Percentages represent each industry's share of a candidate's total itemized contributions — contributions over $200 that are individually disclosed in FEC filings. Unitemized contributions (small donations under $200) are not included in the industry breakdown since they are not individually disclosed.
We show the top five donor industries by total contribution amount for the most recent completed election cycle.
PAC contributions are sourced directly from FEC committee-to-candidate contribution filings. We display contributions from identified PACs over $5,000 in the most recent election cycle.
PAC types are classified as follows:
Independent expenditure-only committees that can raise unlimited funds but cannot contribute directly to candidates. Amounts shown represent independent expenditures made in support of or opposition to the candidate.
PACs directly affiliated with a corporation, union, trade association, or other organization. Subject to contribution limits.
PACs established by members of Congress to support other candidates. Separate from the member's own campaign committee.
Contributions from 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that are not required to disclose their donors. The organization name is known but the original funding sources are not publicly disclosed.
The Votes vs. Donors tool cross-references a representative's roll call voting record with their top donor industries. We identify legislation directly related to each donor industry's primary policy interests and show how the representative voted on each bill.
The Donor Alignment Score represents the percentage of tracked votes where the representative voted in a way consistent with their top donor industry's known policy position. Industry policy positions are determined based on industry lobbying positions as reported by OpenSecrets and public statements from major trade associations.
This tool is intended to surface correlations for public consideration. Correlation between donor industry and voting record does not constitute proof of a causal relationship. Representatives may vote consistently with donor interests for reasons unrelated to campaign contributions.
Vote data comes from the ProPublica Congress API. We track votes going back to the 111th Congress (2009) where available.
ZIP codes are postal delivery routes, not geographic areas. A single ZIP code may span multiple congressional districts. When this occurs we assign the district with the greatest geographic overlap with that ZIP code. We recommend users verify their district assignment if they are near a district boundary.
FEC data is updated on a rolling basis as candidates file required reports. Quarterly and year-end reports may not reflect very recent contributions. The 2026 cycle data reflects filings to date and will be updated as new reports are filed.
Dark money organizations are not required to disclose their donors under current law. Contribution amounts from these organizations are known from FEC filings but original funding sources cannot be traced.
Industry classifications are applied by OpenSecrets researchers and involve judgment calls in ambiguous cases. We use OpenSecrets classifications as published without modification.
If you believe a data point is incorrect or have a question about our methodology, contact us at hello@paidforpolitics.com. We take data accuracy seriously and will investigate all reported discrepancies.