Disclaimer & Responsible Use

PlainInfluence makes public federal disclosure data easier to read and compare. It is not legal, financial, or compliance advice, and it does not establish what anyone's true political influence is. Use it as a starting point for your own research.

PlainInfluence is a free informational resource that makes public FEC, Senate LDA, and USAspending.gov disclosures easier to read. It is not legal, financial, compliance, or investment advice, and it does not allege wrongdoing by anyone it lists. Disclosed contributions, lobbying, and contracts are lawful, regulated activities. Use the site as a starting point for your own research, not as the final word on any person's or organization's conduct.

Informational only, not professional advice

Nothing on PlainInfluence constitutes legal, financial, compliance, or investment advice, and using the site does not create any professional relationship. Federal election law, lobbying-disclosure rules, and government-contracting regulations are complex. For questions about your own compliance obligations, consult a qualified election-law or compliance attorney. For the authoritative record, rely on the original filings at the FEC, the Senate Office of Public Records, and USAspending.gov.

What the numbers are, and are not

The figures on PlainInfluence are amounts disclosed in official federal filings, aggregated by entity and cycle — not a measure of anyone's actual power, intent, or guilt. Three things matter when you read them:

  • Disclosed activity is only part of the picture. Undisclosed spending — for example, donations to 501(c)(4) "dark money" groups that are not required to name their donors — is by definition absent from this data. A low total here does not mean low influence.
  • Contributions are not the same as outside spending. Independent expenditures by super PACs are made for or against a candidate without coordination, and a large "against" figure does not mean a candidate received or benefited from that money. We report the two as distinct measures; our campaign finance guide explains how PACs and super PACs differ.
  • Entity resolution is imperfect. Linking the same organization across three databases with different naming conventions can occasionally over- or under-merge filings. Where a match is uncertain we keep records separate, which can split a single real entity's totals across more than one page.

Data freshness and accuracy

Filings are published by the source agencies on their own schedules and may be amended after the fact; figures reflect the most recent bulk data we have loaded, and the data cycle is shown on each page. We work to keep the data accurate and aligned with the official sources, but we cannot guarantee it is complete, current, or free of upstream limitations. If you spot a figure that looks wrong, please report it through our corrections process.

No allegation of wrongdoing

Appearing on PlainInfluence is not an accusation. Making campaign contributions, lobbying the federal government, and winning federal contracts are lawful activities that the law requires to be disclosed precisely so the public can see them. Nothing here should be read as claiming that any listed individual or organization acted improperly or illegally. Our lobbying guide explains what the disclosed activity does and does not represent.

No affiliation

PlainInfluence is an independent publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Senate, USAspending.gov, or any government agency, campaign, party, PAC, or lobbying firm. Outbound links to official sources are provided for verification and do not imply any partnership.

Questions

Questions about how to use this data, or about a specific figure, are welcome at hello@plaininfluence.com. See also our editorial & corrections policy and methodology.