PAC Tracker 8/3/2026

Primary School

— 10 min read
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These tallies will cover all independent expenditures filed with the FEC to date in races I’m watching by the end of the day yesterday, August 2, and report new expenses filed with the FEC since the last PAC Tracker’s cutoff, July 26. Future editions will update the tallies and report new expenses only. As a reminder, this will be included in all subscription tiers, so subscribe now!

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CA-14 (only counting expenditures since the June 2 primary)

BART board member Melissa Hernandez and state Sen. Aisha Wahab, who is seen as a progressive, face off in an all-Democratic special runoff in August to fill Eric Swalwell’s House seat, and then have a rematch for the full term in November.

Total IEs: $2,577,496.75 | +$1,158,989.18
Pro-Hernandez: $1,542,096.57 | +$268,212.16
Pro-Wahab: $273,166.88 | +$186,543.72
Anti-Wahab: $762,233.30 | +$704,233.30

CT-01

Liberal Rep. John Larson faces an age-based challenge from former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, an ideologically amorphous Democrat, as well as less-funded but more progressive state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune.

Total IEs: $1,160,472.96 | +$496,675.44
Anti-Bronin: $93,761.76 | +$92,261.76
Pro-Bronin: $956,804.66 | +$347,757.14
Pro-Larson: $53,250
Anti-Larson: $56,656.54 | +$56,656.54

FL-20

After Florida redrew its maps this year, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was left without a district to run in—or she would have been, had now-former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick not been brought down by a campaign finance scandal. Cherfilus-McCormick resigned amidst an indictment and a House Ethics probe, but is now seeking the seat she just vacated, along with several other candidates who all argue that this Black-majority district should have a Black representative—risking a Wasserman Schultz plurality.

Total IEs: $59,902.51 | +$29,297.19
Pro-Wasserman Schultz: $59,902.51 | +$29,297.19
  • $29,297.19 in mailers supporting Debbie Wasserman Schultz from the American College of Radiology Association PAC

FL-24

A crowded field of candidates including state Sen. Shevrin Jones and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert are fighting for the right to succeed retiring Rep. Frederica Wilson in this Black-majority Miami-area seat.

Total IEs: $1,651,193.28 | +$242,502.77
Anti-Gilbert: $139,133.20 | +$56,896.83
Pro-Gilbert: $645,789.14 | +$117,271.11
Anti-Jones: $81,493.89 | +$11,438
Pro-Jones: $784,777.05 | +$56,896.83

MA-Sen

Sen. Ed Markey should have retired this year, but he didn’t, and the choice is now between Markey and the one Massachusetts politician bold enough to challenge him: transphobic loser Seth Moulton, the congressman for Boston’s northern suburbs and exurbs.

Total IEs: $3,610,256.56 | +$516,666.67
Anti-Markey: $1,482,274.93
Anti-Moulton: $1,448,769.50 | +$200,000
Pro-Moulton: $679,212.13 | +$316,666.67

MA-06

The race to succeed Moulton is an absolute clown car, with state Rep. Tram Nguyen and former MA-03 candidate Dan Koh seeming to lead the pack as self-funder John Beccia and a trio of underfunded progressives fight to break through.

Total IEs: $438,138.67 | +$52,344.60
Pro-Koh: $438,138.67 | +$52,344.60

MA-08

Rep. Stephen Lynch has long been an obvious primary target; he was socially conservative long after that stopped being unremarkable for a House Democrat, and he’s just generally up there in years. Attorney Patrick Roath has the backing of some progressive groups and labor unions as well as a lot of local elected officials, as he hopes to make this the year Lynch goes down.

Total IEs: $152,715.06 | +$49,938.11
Anti-Lynch: $102,776.95
Pro-Roath: $49,938.11 | +$49,938.11

MI-Sen

It’s the marquee Senate primary of the cycle: 2018 gubernatorial candidate and former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive favorite, faces establishment favorite Haley Stevens, a congresswoman from suburban Detroit, in an extraordinarily expensive and heated contest.

Total IEs: $58,180,124.76 | +$8,209,727.32
Anti-El-Sayed: $20,135,965.80 | +$5,331,860.39
Pro-El-Sayed: $3,102,900.82 | +$772,441.19
Anti-Stevens: $1,087,994.05 | +$450,835.46
Pro-Stevens: $33,853,264.10 | +$1,654,590.28

MI-07

The Democratic primary to take on first-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in this Lansing-area district has two candidates you might expect—both moderates, one a former US Ambassador to Ukraine (Bridget Brink) and the other a former Navy SEAL (Matt Maasdam). However, it’s a third candidate who has defined the race, win or lose: progressive Will Lawrence, who is making a strong run for the nomination in a must-win district for House Democrats and inspiring panic in DC.

Total IEs: $7,934,018.28 | +$1,858,698.36
Anti-Brink: $1,307,287
Pro-Brink: $58,000
Anti-Lawrence: $1,984,356.42 | +$50,000
Pro-Lawrence: $774,531.36 | +$430,031.36
Anti-Maasdam: $1,499,781.60 | +$778,667
Pro-Maasdam: $2,310,062.90 | +$600,000

MI-11

Neither state Sen. Jeremy Moss nor engineer Don Ufford is particularly exciting, much like this affluent suburban seat northwest of Detroit.

Total IEs: $439,495.07 | +$294,613.39
Anti-Moss: $20,000 
Pro-Moss: $399,495.07 | +$294,613.39
Pro-Ufford: $20,000 

MI-13

Rep. Shri Thanedar faces a stiff challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who has managed the rare feat of uniting the local establishment and DSA behind him.

Total IEs: $3,628,545.95 | +$1,501,546.79
Anti-Thanedar: $463,165.47 | +$60,000
Pro-Thanedar: $1,835,679 | +$924,240
Anti-McKinney: $268,690 | +$53,530
Pro-McKinney: $1,061,011.48 | +$463,776.79

MN-Sen

Retiring progressive Sen. Tina Smith wants Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to succeed her, as does just about every national and Minnesota progressive. Rep. Angie Craig has money and little else—but she does have a lot of money.

Total IEs: $17,782,418.16 | +$2,303,501.39
Anti-Craig: $2,150,344 | +$96,000
Pro-Craig: $8,039,925.86 | +$695,348.26
Anti-Flanagan: $7,019,783.54 | +$993,788.37
Pro-Flanagan: $572,364.76 | +$518,364.76

MN-02

Two progressives—state Rep. Kaela Berg and DFL-endorsed former state Sen. Matt Little—face one moderate—state Sen. Matt Klein—for the open seat of U.S. Senate candidate Angie Craig.

Total IEs: $2,268,046.73 | +$1,621,847.27
Pro-Berg: $796,919.97 | +$218,838.81
Anti-Klein: $17,392.53
Pro-Klein: $1,261,341.70 | +$1,228,008.36
Anti-Little: $17,392.53
Pro-Little: $175,000 | +$175,000

MO-01

Democratic socialist former Rep. Cori Bush lost her seat to AIPAC-backed challenger Wesley Bell in 2024, and she’s now seeking a rematch with the backing of DSA and Justice Democrats.

Total IEs: $3,653,488.86 | +$922,762.91
Pro-Bell: $986,770.76 | +$280,781.18
Anti-Bell: $48,262.36 | +$48,262.36
Anti-Bush: $2,552,149.42 | +$530,512.45
Pro-Bush: $73,406.03 | +$63,206.92

NH-01

The top two candidates for outgoing Rep. Chris Pappas’s seat, Stefany Shaheen and Maura Sullivan, are as uninspiring as he is. Shaheen is the daughter of retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and Sullivan is a repeat NH-01 candidate who was a centrist back when she first ran in 2018 and remains a centrist now. There are other progressives running campaigns with varying degrees of resources; we’ll see if any break through.

Total IEs: $1,296,783.88 | +$335,400.40
Pro-Shaheen: $651,087.20 | +$185,400.40
Pro-Sullivan: $645,696.68 | +$150,000

WA-09

Socialist firebrand/crank Kshama Sawant is back, and this time she’s here to irritate Rep. Adam Smith, a bland centrist who has long led Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee.

Total IEs: $5,600
Pro-Sawant: $5,600

WI-03

Blue Dog and DCCC favorite Rebecca Cooke faces an unexpectedly strong low-budget challenge from progressive former Eau Claire Council President Emily Berge.

Total IEs: $262,019.62 | +$249,122
Pro-Cooke: $262,019.62 | +$249,122
  • $249,122 in TV ads supporting Rebecca Cooke from Pro-Choice Majority Action (plus $12,897.62 in previously untracked expenses supporting Rebecca Cooke from WelcomePAC)

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