515 donors gave $4.2 billion to 2026 super PACs, Public Citizen finds

Public Citizen found that 515 donors who each gave at least $1 million supplied $4.2 billion to super PACs in the 2026 election cycle, about 73% of all super PAC contributions from individuals, corporations and nonprofits. The advocacy group published the analysis on Oct. 27.

The report, written by Public Citizen’s Mike Tanglis, used Federal Election Commission bulk data files for the 2026 cycle. Public Citizen excluded transfers between super PACs to avoid double counting. It counted a donor as a $1 million giver if the donor’s gifts across several PACs added up to that amount, and it included hybrid PACs. The report does not state a data cutoff date. It cites sources dated as late as Oct. 23.

Musk’s share

Elon Musk gave $445 million to super PACs this cycle, according to Public Citizen, about 10% of the total. Without him, the other 514 donors gave about $3.8 billion. The report said Musk outspent the second-largest donor by nearly $300 million. In the 2024 cycle, Musk spent close to $300 million, nearly $100 million more than the next-closest donor, the report said.

Other outlets have reported figures near Musk’s total. A report by Meaww put it at $445 million, while the International Business Times reported more than $442 million after a new $76 million gift. Public Citizen noted that a New York Times headline put Musk’s Republican-focused spending at $276 million, a figure that does not cover all of his super PAC giving.

The largest donors

Public Citizen listed the largest super PAC donors of the cycle so far:

• Elon Musk: $445 million
• Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein: $146 million
• One Nation, a dark money group that donates to Senate Leadership Fund: $133 million
• Jeff Yass: $107 million
• Majority Forward, a dark money group tied to Senate Majority PAC: $102 million
• The Soros family, through Geosor Corporation and Fund for Policy Reform: $102 million
• House Majority Forward, a dark money group tied to House Majority PAC: $94 million
• Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and the venture firm a16z: $90 million
• Michael Bloomberg: $81 million
• Ripple and Chris Larsen: $69 million

Miriam Adelson, American Action Network, American Prosperity Alliance, Paul Singer, and Greg and Anna Brockman rounded out the top 15, at between $50 million and $66 million each.

How much each PAC relies on large donors

Public Citizen also tallied the share of each major super PAC’s 2026 receipts that came from donors giving $1 million or more:

• MAGA Inc.: 102 such donors gave $405 million, 90% of its $449 million in receipts
• Senate Leadership Fund: 61 donors gave $496 million, 94% of $526 million
• Congressional Leadership Fund: 53 donors gave $231 million, 89% of $260 million
• Senate Majority PAC: 44 donors gave $244 million, 80% of $305 million
• House Majority PAC: 31 donors gave $183 million, 62% of $294 million

The report also found that more than 85% of 2026 super PAC money came from donors giving at least $20,000.

The report does not give an overall partisan tally. It identifies groups by affiliation: MAGA Inc. as Trump-affiliated, and One Nation, American Action Network and American Prosperity Alliance as supporting Republicans.

Public Citizen’s response

Public Citizen attributed the pattern to the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC and called for the ruling to be overturned. Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen’s co-president, said in the group’s news release that “we should be asking whose voices our political system is prioritizing.”

The group’s full analysis, titled “Millionaires and Billionaires Fuel 2026 Super PAC Spending,” is posted on its website. The FEC publishes the underlying filings.