2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Brian Varela?
The money.
- Raised
- $2.0M
- Spent
- $2.0M
- Cash on hand
- $-13K
- Debts
- $1.0M
- Individuals 38% $763K
- PACs & other committees 0.8% $16K
- Candidate's own money & loans 60% $1.2M
- Other receipts 0.4% $7,516
Campaign totals through Jun 30, 2026.
No independent expenditures for or against this filing are itemized in the bulk file.
Largest direct PAC contributions
Who gave.
Who gives $763K from individuals
10% in small-dollar gifts
$78K of $763K 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 $420K of the $685K the campaign reported itemizing through Jun 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 27, 2026 for this campaign.
58% from New Jersey · 42% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
93% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- New Jersey $245K
- Florida $55K
- New York $36K
- California $17K
- District of Columbia $13K
- Maryland $10K
- Texas $10K
- Illinois $8,000
Top employers named by donors
- CME ASSOCIATES $11K
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: $128K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $282K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Jun 30, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Apr 8, 2025 to Jun 27, 2026, net of refunds (793 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.
No 24- or 48-hour report in the FEC file read November 4, 2026 names Brian Varela.
Where it went.
Where the money went $1.6M in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $1.6M of the $2.0M the campaign reported spending through Jun 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 9, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 68% $1.1M
- Consultants & strategy 13% $202K
- Fundraising & processing fees 9% $145K
- Polling, research & data 5% $83K
- Travel, meals & events 0.8% $12K
- Office, technology & overhead 2% $31K
- Legal & compliance 0.9% $14K
- Other or unclassified 0.3% $4,886
Largest payees
- AMS COMMUNICATIONS $435K
- BLUEWEST MEDIA LLC $361K
- BCOM SOLUTIONS $86K
- PUTNAM PARTNERS $74K
- LAKE RESEARCH PARTNERS $61K
Paid to individuals: $234K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Apr 11, 2025 to Jun 9, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (510 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.
- Rebecca BennettDemocrat · $8.2M raised · $2.1M outside
- Thomas H. Kean Jr.Republican · $4.3M raised · $591K outside
- Tina ShahDemocrat · $2.3M raised · $300K outside
- Michael RothDemocrat · $1.3M raised · $120K outside
- Megan O'RourkeDemocrat · $571K raised
- Gregory Vartan IIIDemocrat · $193K raised
- Beth Ellen AdubatoDemocrat · $168K raised
- Randall TerryIndependent · $74K raised
- Sara SooyDemocrat · $54K raised
- Lana LeguiaLibertarian · $25K raised
- Valentina E. MendozaDemocrat · $1,630 raised
- Michael Joseph GarthDemocrat · $500 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.