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Hugin

2026 candidate · follow the money

Who funds Esther Kim Varet?

California U.S. House District 40DemocratFiled as challengerFEC H6CA40309
Compare the whole race →Results in California ↗Search Hugin records ↗FEC filing ↗

The money.

Esther Kim VaretFEC filing: Esther Kim Varet · H6CA40309 ↗
Raised
$2.9M
Spent
$2.9M
Cash on hand
$26K
Debts
$501K
  • Individuals 78% $2.3M
  • PACs & other committees 0.4% $13K
  • Candidate's own money & loans 20% $592K
  • Other receipts 1% $37K

Campaign totals through Sep 30, 2026. Excludes $5,429 moved between the candidate's own committees.

Outside groups: $1.1M supporting · $3,238 opposing

Biggest spenders supporting

  1. CALIFORNIA BLUE PACSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $702K
  2. WESTERN BLUE PACSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $350K

Biggest spenders opposing

  1. YOUTH SAVE DEMOCRACY PACPAC with no sponsoring organizationSpent mainly in primaries $3,238

Largest direct PAC contributions

  1. ASPIRE PACPAC with no sponsoring organization $5,000
  2. VOTE MAMAHybrid PAC (super PAC account) $5,000
  3. KOREAN AMERICANS FOR ORGANIZING FUNDPAC with no sponsoring organization $2,500
  4. AT THE TABLE!Leadership PAC of Grace Meng $1,000
  5. LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS ACTION FUNDMembership group PAC · League Of Conservation Voters, Inc $50

Who gave.

Who gives $2.3M from individuals

47% in small-dollar gifts

$1.1M of $2.3M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.

Adding itemized gifts from donors whose itemized total is $200 or less, about 49%. Many small gifts sent through ActBlue or WinRed are itemized anyway, so the first figure runs low; this estimate groups donors by name and ZIP code as filed and counts only itemized gifts already in the FEC bulk file.

56% from California · 44% from elsewhere

Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address. Giving from other states is lawful and common.

77% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.

Top states

  1. California $663K
  2. New York $201K
  3. Texas $73K
  4. Minnesota $44K
  5. Illinois $31K
  6. Georgia $24K
  7. Florida $21K
  8. Connecticut $21K

Top employers named by donors

  1. APPLE INC $1,150
  2. GOOGLE $667

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: $409K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $778K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.

Summary through Sep 30, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 15, 2025 to Jun 16, 2026, net of refunds (3,845 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: $1.1M for / $3,238 against · $0 in the final two weeks

That is $51K more than the $1.1M in regular reports alone. Source: FEC regular reports plus 24- and 48-hour reports they do not yet cover. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.

$51K of the $1.1M on late reports was filed as an estimate. A 24- or 48-hour report is due within a day or two of the spending; the spender's later regular report carries the final cost.

What it bought, per the late reports

  • TV, radio & streaming TV 32% $350K
  • Ads, medium not stated 56% $613K
  • Mail, print & signs 4% $49K
  • Phones & texts 3% $28K
  • Ad production 1% $12K
  • Other or unclassified 5% $51K

Largest late spenders for

  1. CALIFORNIA BLUE PAC $702K
  2. WESTERN BLUE PAC $350K
  3. RISING TIDE COLLECTIVE $51K

Latest dissemination on these reports: May 30, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (24 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 $2.6M in itemized spending

These itemized payments cover $2.6M of the $2.9M the campaign reported spending through Sep 30, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.

  • Advertising & outreach 56% $1.5M
  • Consultants & strategy 10% $261K
  • Staff & payroll 9% $231K
  • Fundraising & processing fees 9% $243K
  • Polling, research & data 5% $121K
  • Travel, meals & events 2% $46K
  • Office, technology & overhead 2% $59K
  • Legal & compliance 2% $45K
  • Other or unclassified 5% $137K

Largest payees

  1. KEY LIME STRATEGIES AND MEDIA $837K
  2. ARMOUR EVANS MEDIA, LLC $370K
  3. SOLIDARITY STRATEGIES, LLC $237K
  4. INTUIT, INC. $168K
  5. DAILY CONSULTING, LLC $159K

Paid to individuals: $50K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.

Payments dated Jan 19, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (670 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.

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.