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2026 candidate · follow the money

Who funds Sherrod Brown?

Ohio U.S. SenateDemocratFiled as challengerFEC S6OH00163
Compare the whole race →Results in Ohio ↗Search Hugin records ↗FEC filing ↗

The money.

Sherrod BrownFEC filing: Sherrod Brown · S6OH00163 ↗
Raised
$59M
Spent
$64M
Cash on hand
$4.5M
  • Individuals 98% $58M
  • PACs & other committees 2% $1.1M
  • Party committees <0.1% $200
  • Other receipts 0.6% $332K

Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026. Excludes $9.2M moved between the candidate's own committees.

Outside groups: $288K supporting · $4.2M opposing ($3.2M of it designated for the general election)

Biggest spenders supporting

  1. PROGRESSIVE TURNOUT PROJECTHybrid PAC (super PAC account)98% of its general-election spending helped Democrats or opposed Republicans $144K
  2. THOMAS PAINE SOCIETY L.L.C.Filer that is not a political committee91% of its general-election spending helped Democrats or opposed Republicans $34K
  3. FIELD TEAM 6, INC.Super PAC99% of its general-election spending helped Democrats or opposed Republicans $33K
  4. OHIO CITIZEN ACTIONFiler that is not a political committeeAll of its general-election spending helped Democrats or opposed Republicans $32K
  5. FORWARD BLUESuper PACAll of its general-election spending helped Democrats or opposed Republicans $19K

Biggest spenders opposing

  1. AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTIONHybrid PAC (super PAC account)All of its general-election spending helped Republicans or opposed Democrats $1.8M
  2. OHIO FLYER PACSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $1.7M
  3. SLF PACSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $416K
  4. AMERICAN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEHybrid PAC (super PAC account)All of its general-election spending helped Republicans or opposed Democrats $273K
  5. RED SENATESuper PAC87% of its general-election spending helped Republicans or opposed Democrats $10K

Largest direct PAC contributions

  1. ADVANCING DEMOCRACY AND MOBILIZATION PACLeadership PAC of Adam Schiff $13K
  2. INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER POLITICAL COMMITTEEUnion PAC · International Union Of Painters And Allied Trades $10K
  3. UNITED STEELWORKERS POLITICAL ACTION FUNDUnion PAC · United Steelworkers $10K
  4. UA UNION PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS VOTE! PAC (UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING & PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA)Union PAC · Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 22 PAC Inc $10K
  5. THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEECorporate PAC · Thrivent Financial For Lutherans $10K

Who gave.

Who gives $58M from individuals

39% in small-dollar gifts

$22M of $58M 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 41%. 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.

The itemized gifts below add up to $17M of the $35M the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.

38% from Ohio · 62% from elsewhere

Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address; $5,000 had no usable state. Giving from other states is lawful and common.

74% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.

Top states

  1. Ohio $6.5M
  2. California $2.1M
  3. New York $1.4M
  4. Massachusetts $1.0M
  5. Illinois $564K
  6. Maryland $506K
  7. District of Columbia $445K
  8. Texas $410K

Top employers named by donors

  1. CLEVELAND CLINIC $34K
  2. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY $31K
  3. CLIFFORD LAW OFFICES $19K
  4. CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY $16K
  5. UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI $15K
  6. CONGAREE RIVER LLC $14K
  7. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY $14K
  8. SMITH LACIEN LLP $11K
  9. ST VINCENT CHARITY MEDICAL CENTER $11K
  10. GOOGLE $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: $13M. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $3.8M, not listed so no one donor is singled out.

Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated May 27, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (134,464 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: $27M for / $189M against · $55M in the final two weeks

That is $211M more than the $4.5M 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.

$20M of the $215M 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 11% $24M
  • Digital ads 9% $19M
  • Ads, medium not stated 61% $131M
  • Mail, print & signs 12% $27M
  • Phones & texts 2% $3.2M
  • Canvassing & field 5% $10M
  • Ad production 0.4% $950K
  • Other or unclassified <0.1% $71K

Largest late spenders for

  1. WINSENATE $9.1M
  2. NEW AMERICAN JOBS FUND $4.3M
  3. CFFE PAC $4.1M
  4. AB PAC $2.6M
  5. BLACKPAC $1.8M

Largest late spenders against

  1. SLF PAC $93M
  2. NO GOING BACK PAC INC. $21M
  3. DEFEND AMERICAN JOBS $20M
  4. 75 PAC $15M
  5. AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY ACTION, INC. (AFP ACTION) DBA CVA ACTION AND DBA LIBRE ACTION $13M

Latest dissemination on these reports: November 3, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (690 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 $22M in itemized spending

These itemized payments cover $22M of the $64M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.

  • Advertising & outreach 68% $15M
  • Consultants & strategy 3% $630K
  • Staff & payroll 13% $2.8M
  • Fundraising & processing fees 9% $2.0M
  • Polling, research & data 0.7% $158K
  • Travel, meals & events 0.6% $124K
  • Office, technology & overhead 2% $384K
  • Legal & compliance 0.8% $166K
  • Other or unclassified 3% $737K

Largest payees

  1. GRASSROOTS MEDIA $6.5M
  2. MISSION WIRED $5.1M
  3. WAVELENGTH STRATEGY LLC $2.6M
  4. GUSTO $2.5M
  5. RWT PRODUCTION, LLC $1.5M

Paid to individuals: $171K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.

Payments dated Aug 18, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (1,377 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.