2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Benjamin Ben Butler?
The money.
- Raised
- $461K
- Spent
- $460K
- Cash on hand
- $1,000
- Debts
- $3,096
- Individuals 87% $400K
- PACs & other committees 12% $54K
- Candidate's own money & loans 2% $6,975
Campaign totals through Sep 30, 2026.
No independent expenditures for or against this filing are itemized in the bulk file.
Largest direct PAC contributions
Who gave.
Who gives $400K from individuals
3% in small-dollar gifts
$12K of $400K came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
The itemized gifts below add up to $333K of the $387K the campaign reported itemizing through Sep 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jul 29, 2026 for this campaign.
96% from Florida · 4% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
32% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- Florida $319K
- New Jersey $3,975
- District of Columbia $3,500
- New Hampshire $3,500
- Georgia $1,561
- North Carolina $1,000
- South Carolina $520
Top employers named by donors
- WALPOLE INC $4,270
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $167K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $162K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Sep 30, 2026. Itemized gifts dated May 18, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026, net of refunds (251 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $72K for / $0 against · $0 in the final two weeks
Source: FEC 24- and 48-hour reports. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
What it bought, per the late reports
- TV, radio & streaming TV 21% $16K
- Digital ads 11% $7,640
- Mail, print & signs 38% $28K
- Phones & texts 25% $18K
- Ad production 5% $3,500
Largest late spenders for
Latest dissemination on these reports: August 18, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (10 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $274K in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $274K of the $460K the campaign reported spending through Sep 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jul 29, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 43% $119K
- Consultants & strategy 44% $120K
- Fundraising & processing fees 4% $11K
- Travel, meals & events 3% $9,417
- Office, technology & overhead 1% $3,076
- Legal & compliance 5% $12K
Largest payees
- CONVERSION CREATIVE $115K
- CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS, INC $54K
- SEVONE MEDIA $32K
- DIVISION OF ELECTIONS $10K
- ASCENT STRATEGIC $9,032
Paid to individuals: $20K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated May 14, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (52 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Darren SotoDemocrat · $3.6M raised · $41K outside
- Thomas E. Colonel Chalifoux Jr.Republican · $3.2M raised · $97K outside
- Dan GreenRepublican · $2.7M raised · $27K outside
- Jorge MartinezRepublican · $1.0M raised
- Howard Steven RanceRepublican · $158K raised
- Justin StoryRepublican · $95K raised
- Jorge Antonio MalavetRepublican · $28K raised
- Gregory Marcus CarterRepublican · $23K raised
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.