PlainInfluence — Money in Politics: Guides & Research https://plaininfluence.com Plain-language analyses of federal money-in-politics data: editorial guides and original research from PlainInfluence, an independent publisher synthesizing FEC, Senate LDA, and USAspending.gov disclosures. en-us Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:45:42 GMT <![CDATA[Top 10 Organizations by Combined FEC, LDA, and Federal Contract Activity]]> https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-entities-by-recorded-federal-activity/ https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-entities-by-recorded-federal-activity/ Research <![CDATA[Top 10 Federal Politicians by FEC-Recorded Receipts]]> https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-politicians-by-fec-receipts/ https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-politicians-by-fec-receipts/ Research <![CDATA[Top 10 US States by Aggregate FEC, LDA, and Federal Contract Totals]]> https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-states-by-aggregate-activity/ https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-states-by-aggregate-activity/ Research <![CDATA[States by Federal Contract Flows: Where Defense and Agency Dollars Land]]> https://plaininfluence.com/research/states-by-federal-contract-flows/ https://plaininfluence.com/research/states-by-federal-contract-flows/ Research <![CDATA[Top Lobbying Issue Areas by Senate LDA Spending Concentration]]> https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-issues-by-lobbying-spend/ https://plaininfluence.com/research/top-issues-by-lobbying-spend/ Research <![CDATA[Follow the Money: How to Look Up Political Donations]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/follow-the-money/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/follow-the-money/ Guides <![CDATA[Campaign Finance 101: PACs, Super PACs, and Dark Money Explained]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/campaign-finance-101/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/campaign-finance-101/ Guides <![CDATA[Lobbying in America: Who Spends Billions and Why]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/lobbying-explained/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/lobbying-explained/ Guides <![CDATA[Federal Contracts Explained: How the Government Awards Billions]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/federal-contracts-explained/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/federal-contracts-explained/ Guides <![CDATA[Top Government Contractors: Who Gets the Most Federal Money]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/top-government-contractors/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/top-government-contractors/ Guides <![CDATA[How to Read FEC Data: A Practical Guide to Campaign Finance Filings]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/reading-fec-data/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/reading-fec-data/ Guides <![CDATA[The Revolving Door: When Government Officials Become Lobbyists]]> https://plaininfluence.com/guides/revolving-door/ https://plaininfluence.com/guides/revolving-door/ Guides