2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Chris Collins?
The money.
- Raised
- $3.4M
- Spent
- $3.4M
- Cash on hand
- $0
- Candidate's own money & loans 100% $3.4M
Campaign totals through Aug 20, 2026.
Outside groups: $0 supporting · $1.3M opposing
Biggest spenders opposing
- WIN IT BACK PAC $1.3M
Who gave.
Who gives $0 from individuals
Summary through Aug 20, 2026. 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: $0 for / $1.3M against · $0 in the final two weeks
Source: FEC regular 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 67% $845K
- Digital ads 16% $204K
- Mail, print & signs 15% $193K
- Ad production 2% $23K
Largest late spenders against
- WIN IT BACK PAC $1.3M
Latest dissemination on these reports: August 10, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (22 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 $2.5M in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $2.5M of the $3.4M the campaign reported spending through Aug 20, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jul 29, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 95% $2.3M
- Polling, research & data 4% $86K
- Office, technology & overhead 0.4% $9,116
- Legal & compliance 0.4% $10K
- Other or unclassified 0.3% $8,000
Largest payees
- STRATEGIC MEDIA PLACEMENT INC. $1.9M
- BIG DOG STRATEGIES, LLC $361K
- SPOTLIGHT MEDIA GROUP LLC $96K
- COEFFICIENT GROUP LLC $46K
- NATIONAL RESEARCH INC. $43K
Paid to individuals: $8,000, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Jul 10, 2025 to Jul 29, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (32 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.
- James OberweisRepublican · $5.4M raised · $24K outside
- Jim SchwartzelRepublican · $2.8M raised · $48K outside
- Catalina LaufRepublican · $1.9M raised · $3.2M outside
- Madison CawthornRepublican · $876K raised
- Byron DonaldsRepublican · $660K raised · $57K outside
- Ola Nesheswat HawatmehRepublican · $278K raised
- John StrandRepublican · $144K raised
- Mike PedersenRepublican · $76K raised
- Victor M. AriasDemocrat · $70K raised
- Howard Lee SappDemocrat · $55K raised
- Robert M. Neeld Jr.Democrat · $29K raised
- Gregory BukowskiRepublican · $26K 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.