The United States has outdone itself with the most expensive election cycle in history—again. The Center for Responsive Politics (also called Open Secrets) estimated the total 2020 cycle cost at $14 billion. The presidential race alone saw $6.6 billion in spending—more than double the amount spent in 2016, which is now the second-most expensive election cycle in U.S. history. Liberal donors giving directly to campaign committees outdid their conservative counterparts this year, with President Joe Biden bringing in nearly $1 billion directly to his campaign. But 2020’s outsized price tag is really thanks to the super PACs.
Unsurprisingly, much of the focus of this election was on President Donald Trump. Liberal Super PACs like Future Forward and American Bridge 21st Century focused a lot of their money on anti-Trump ads and courted donors, explicitly looking to prevent the president from winning a second term. Similarly, conservative and centrist Super PACs like the Lincoln Project, with a single focus on ousting Trump, boomed this cycle.
Despite the record-breaking price tag, Democrats underperformed compared to their expectations of a sweep in 2020, and party leaders have been arguing since November about why their congressional strategy failed.
One thing is clear: It wasn’t a lack of money.
Donor records show many of the top liberal Super PACs and Carey Committees, or hybrid Super PACs, spent significant money this cycle to oppose Republicans who still won re-election. One critic, Steve Phillips of Democracy in Color, noted that the mostly white, insulated leadership of these PACs can end up wasting money if their investments aren’t based on information coming from organizers on the ground—they’re “political plans that are based on feelings and not facts” as Phillips put it.
Here’s a look at the top super PACs from the 2020 election cycle. All figures are from Open Secrets.
Senate Majority PAC - Total Spending: $230 million
In the decade since Super PACs entered the Beltway scene, the Senate Majority PAC has been the leading fundraiser of all liberal PACs. It’s a favorite of Democratic mega-donors, many of whom give multi-million-dollar gifts every two years and often favor the PAC over the party’s House Majority PAC. However, for the last three cycles, it has come up just short of its conservative counterpart, Senate Leadership Fund, and has failed to deliver a majority-blue Senate.
Future Forward USA - Total Spending: $141.5 million
Thanks to a late infusion of cash from Silicon Valley donors like Dustin Moskovitz and Eric Schmidt, Future Forward rocketed toward the top of the independent spenders list for this cycle. Most of its money went toward pro-Biden and anti-Trump advertisements, though they also helped MJ Hegar’s unsuccessful bid for one of Texas’ Senate seats with roughly $11 million.
House Majority PAC - Total Spending: $138.8 million
Before election night, many Democrats were confident they would not only retain a House majority, but expand on it. Instead, Democrats lost seats—putting their majority in jeopardy in 2022. Progressive critics have blamed poor on-the-ground strategy and questioned the decision-making skills of PAC leader Robby Mook, who was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016. (Some academic experts like William Galston argue that the House results were actually not that surprising.)
American Bridge 21st Century PAC - Total Spending: $59.7 million
The liberal-supporting oppo research group spent more than $48 million on anti-Trump digital ads this cycle. American Bridge also helped Democrats with the Georgia Senate run-off races.
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Top Super PACs chart
Independence USA PAC - Total Spending: $56.5 million
Michael Bloomberg’s PAC finished the election cycle as one of the leading fundraisers—with more than $30 million of it coming from Bloomberg himself. The PAC money primarily went to pro-Biden ads, and Bloomberg committed $15 million in late October to run ads in Ohio and Texas—both states Democrats were hoping to flip blue, without success.
The Lincoln Project - Total Spending: $49.6 million
Made up of a collection of Bush-era Republicans tired of Trump, the Lincoln Project sprang up last year to support Biden’s campaign with anti-Trump ads.
LCV Victory Fund - Total Spending: $42.2 million
The Victory Fund is the League of Conservation Voters’ fundraising arm, but across all LCV affiliates, the group spent $115 million helping Democrats win races around the country. The environment-focused organization targeted key Senate and House races with mixed results: The three non-Trump Republicans that the Victory Fund spent the most opposing—Senators Joni Ernst, Steven Daines and Lindsey Graham—all won re-election.
Unite the Country - Total Spending: $39 million
This pro-Biden PAC spent more than $20 million on unspecified media for Biden. Working closely with other liberal groups like Michael Bloomberg’s data firm Hawkfish, Unite the Country’s spending focused on the Upper Midwest while other PACs focused on battleground states in the South.
EMILY’s List - Total Spending: $38 million
A dedicated backer of women candidates for office, EMILY’s List spent most of its money in 2020 on congressional races, with mixed results. Along with its affiliate Women Vote!, the group targeted key House and Senate races and many of the women they backed won their elections. But as with LCV, the Republicans EMILY’s List spent the most to unseat—Sens. Susan Collins, Joni Ernst and Roger Marshall—all won their races.
Black PAC - Total Spending: $32.4 million
Focused on turning out Black voters to the polls, Black PAC spent most of its money, more than $14 million, on getting Biden elected—which the PAC’s Executive Director Adrianne Shropshire cited as one of the largest motivators for Black voters this cycle. The organization went on to play a key role in mobilizing voters for the Georgia Senate run-off races.
Everytown for Gun Safety - Total Spending: $21.1 million
The gun control organization, co-founded by Michael Bloomberg, pledged at the beginning of the election cycle to spend $60 million to oust Trump and other pro-gun politicians. The group targeted southern states like Texas and North Carolina, as well as swing states like Iowa. Most successful was their work in Arizona, another state Everytown targeted, which Biden flipped from red to blue, and they helped unseat Republican Sen. Martha McSally.
Persist PAC - Total Spending: $14.7 million
This Elizabeth Warren-supporting Super PAC made headlines in the spring of 2020 when reporters learned its main funder was a virtual unknown. Karla Jurvetson, a California psychiatrist who, in recent years, has made significant donations to help women running for office, gave $14.6 million. The PAC was scrutinized in the press since Warren had previously pledged to not take Super PAC money.
NextGen America - Total Spending: $12.5 million
Tom Steyer’s PAC started as an environmentally focused organization (originally called NextGen Climate Action), but in 2020, the group focused on youth voter turnout to great success. Steyer pumped about $45 million into the group as it used a digital strategy to get young voters to the polls; while it may not have helped Biden win all the swing states it targeted, NextGen was part of generating record-breaking youth turnout.
