PAC Flow
Committee-to-Committee Transfers
Trace how Political Action Committees move money between each other -- from leadership PACs controlled by powerful members, through party committees, to vulnerable candidates in battleground races.
$82.3M
Total Transferred
2025-2026 cycle
15
Leadership PACs
tracked
$8K
Avg Transfer
per transaction
18
Unique Recipients
committees
Money Flow: Source to Destination
Hover over flows to see transfer amounts. Width proportional to dollar volume.
Flow Type Breakdown
$28.6M
$32.7M
$9.2M
$6.0M
$4.8M
$3.5M
How PAC Money Flows
What Are Leadership PACs?
Leadership PACs are political committees established by current or former members of Congress to raise money and distribute it to other candidates. Unlike a member's campaign committee, a leadership PAC cannot fund the controlling member's own campaign. They are a primary tool for building political alliances and influence within Congress.
Why Do Members Create Them?
Members of Congress use leadership PACs to build coalitions, reward loyalty, and accumulate political power. By distributing funds to colleagues and challengers, they can earn support for leadership bids, committee assignments, and legislative priorities. The top leadership PACs distribute millions each cycle.
Bundling & Intermediaries
Industry PACs often route money through leadership PACs and party committees before it reaches candidates. This 'bundling' allows interest groups to amplify their influence indirectly. A single industry contribution may pass through multiple committees before landing in a candidate's war chest.
Campaign Committees vs. Leadership PACs
A campaign committee (or principal campaign committee) exists solely to elect the candidate it represents. A leadership PAC, by contrast, is a separate entity that can accept and distribute funds independently. Federal law limits contributions to $5,000 per PAC per election, but PACs can contribute to many recipients.
Legal Limits
Federal election law caps PAC-to-candidate contributions at $5,000 per election ($5,000 primary + $5,000 general). PAC-to-PAC transfers are capped at $5,000 per year. Party committees have higher limits and can make coordinated expenditures on behalf of candidates.
Why Track PAC-to-PAC Transfers?
PAC-to-PAC transfers reveal the hidden plumbing of political finance. They show which members wield the most financial influence, which industries are funneling money through intermediaries, and which candidates are receiving coordinated financial support from multiple sources.