Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about PlainInfluence, FEC campaign finance data, Senate LDA lobbying records, federal contracts, and how to research organizational political influence.
What data sources does PlainInfluence combine?
PlainInfluence combines three federal datasets: FEC campaign contribution data (PAC contributions to federal candidates, 2024 cycle), Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) reports filed by registered lobbyists (2023–2024), and USAspending.gov federal contract award data from the Federal Procurement Data System.
What is entity resolution?
Entity resolution is the process of recognizing that the same organization appears under different names across different databases. Boeing might be 'Boeing Co.' in FEC data, 'The Boeing Company' in LDA filings, and 'BOEING COMPANY, THE' in USAspending. PlainInfluence links these records to show the full political footprint of each organization.
What is the FEC?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance law. It requires disclosure of contributions to federal candidates and political committees. All contribution data is public record, searchable at fec.gov.
What is the Senate LDA database?
The Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) requires lobbyists and lobbying firms to register with the Senate Office of Public Records and file semiannual activity reports disclosing their clients, the issues they lobbied on, and their lobbying income. Reports are filed publicly at lda.senate.gov.
Does PlainInfluence capture all dark money?
No. 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, which are not required to disclose their donors to the FEC, can spend on political activities without full public disclosure. These 'dark money' organizations are a significant part of political spending that is not fully captured in public federal databases. PlainInfluence shows only what is disclosed in public filings.
Why might a large company not appear?
A company may not appear if it does not use PACs for political contributions, does not engage registered lobbyists, and does not receive direct federal contract awards. Some large companies operate through trade associations (which do have FEC records) rather than their own PACs.
Is PlainInfluence affiliated with the FEC or any government agency?
No. PlainInfluence is not affiliated with the FEC, the U.S. Senate, USAspending.gov, or any government agency. We are an independent data portal presenting publicly available federal data. This site does not endorse or oppose any political candidate or party.