The Final Week: Where the Last-Minute Super PAC Money Is Going

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Outside groups reported about $907 million in large independent expenditures dated Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, according to a SuperPACs.com tally of the 24- and 48-hour reports filed with the FEC (FEC). More than 40% of that money went into five Senate races: Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Kansas. Both parties' leadership super PACs, plus the groups funded by MAGA Inc., accounted for most of it.

That total is preliminary. It counts only the 873 largest separate entries, each about $250,000 or more, out of more than 12,600 filed for the period. We removed exact duplicates, but some amended filings may still be counted twice, and FEC data for the last few days is still coming in. The real final-stretch total is higher.

The totals so far

Before the last two weeks began, outside spending had already set records. The Brennan Center counted a record $2 billion in independent expenditures through the end of September, 51% more than the last midterm after adjusting for inflation (Brennan Center). In Senate races alone, the Wesleyan Media Project counted $1.98 billion in outside ad spending for the cycle, including $399.27 million from Oct. 12 to 25. Super PACs accounted for 87.1% of that late-October money (Wesleyan Media Project).

Ad spending of every kind, including candidates, parties and reservations, reached $11.21 billion as of Oct. 26, narrowly beating the 2023–24 presidential cycle, according to AdImpact (TheWrap).

For background on how these filings work, see our glossary entries on independent expenditures and 24-hour reports.

The races drawing the most money

Senate contests dominate the final stretch. In our tally of FEC reports dated Oct. 19–30, these races drew the most large outside spending:

Race Large outside items, Oct. 19–30 Pro-Republican Pro-Democratic
Texas Senate $116.1M $69.6M $46.1M
Ohio Senate $107.7M $49.1M $57.1M
Michigan Senate $72.1M $42.2M $29.5M
Iowa Senate $56.3M $20.2M $36.1M
Kansas Senate $49.6M $17.2M $31.3M
Maine Senate $30.9M $14.9M $16.0M
South Carolina Senate $25.6M $11.7M $12.7M
Nebraska Senate $21.9M — —

Source: SuperPACs.com analysis of FEC 24- and 48-hour reports (FEC). "Pro-Republican" means spending that supports the Republican or opposes the Democrat, and "pro-Democratic" means the reverse. Columns may not add to the total because some entries list no party or a third candidate. Nebraska's contest pits Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts against independent Dan Osborn, so we don't split it by party.

Texas is the most expensive race on the map. AdImpact counts $573 million in ad spending there across the primary and general election, the most ever for a non-presidential race. Outside groups backing Republican Ken Paxton account for $251.7 million of that, and outside groups backing Democrat James Talarico account for $30.6 million (AdImpact). Texas PAC, which is funded through Senate Leadership Fund, had spent about $181.6 million in the race by Oct. 29. Filings show Elon Musk gave Senate Leadership Fund $158 million, and matching amounts went to Texas PAC (CNBC).

In the House, the biggest final-stretch races in our tally were North Carolina's 1st District ($21.0 million) and Michigan's 10th ($20.2 million) and 7th ($19.4 million), followed by three Florida seats: the 22nd, 25th and 14th, each about $15 million to $16 million.

The biggest final-stretch spenders

Committee Alignment Large items, Oct. 19–30
House Majority PAC House Democrats $129.0M
WinSenate Senate Democrats $104.9M
Senate Leadership Fund Senate Republicans $88.2M
Congressional Leadership Fund House Republicans $69.0M
No Going Back PAC Republican (MAGA Inc.-funded) $67.4M
Safety & Affordability PAC Republican (MAGA Inc.-funded) $43.5M
Lower Costs Now Democratic (Future Forward affiliate) $38.8M
Texas PAC Republican (SLF-linked) $32.4M

Source: SuperPACs.com analysis of FEC 24- and 48-hour reports. Preliminary; includes only entries of about $250,000 or more.

The two Democratic leadership groups were the top two spenders in this window. WinSenate put its largest sums into Ohio ($41.9 million), Michigan ($16.8 million), Iowa ($15.8 million), Maine ($12.9 million) and Kansas ($10.3 million). Senate Leadership Fund also spent most heavily in Ohio ($24.4 million), followed by Iowa ($13.8 million), Kansas ($9.9 million), Michigan ($9.5 million) and South Carolina ($8.2 million) (FEC).

Republicans still had more money in the bank going into the final weeks. On Oct. 14, Senate Leadership Fund and Congressional Leadership Fund held a combined $173.3 million, compared with $154.1 million for Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC (SuperPACs.com tracker). For each side's full picture, see our reports on Republican and Democratic super PAC support. Many of the new groups in these races formed only weeks ago. We covered that trend separately in The Pop-Up Super PACs of 2026.

Industry money is still in the mix. Fairshake and its affiliates had spent about $150.8 million through Oct. 20, and the crypto industry has put more than $68 million into the Ohio Senate race alone (Reuters via U.S. News). Its affiliate Defend American Jobs reported $15.8 million in large items in our window, mostly in Ohio and Nebraska. AI-industry money has slowed. Groups favoring faster AI development had spent about $8 million in general-election races through Oct. 20, compared with about $6.9 million from safeguards-focused groups (CNBC). More detail is in our pieces on crypto and AI super PACs.

Last-minute shifts

Wesleyan's comparison of early and late October shows where money moved. Senate ad spending rose by $22.8 million in Iowa, $21.8 million in Kansas, $13.3 million in South Carolina and $12.3 million in Nebraska. It fell by $7.1 million each in Texas and Georgia and by $5.1 million in North Carolina. "Following the money suggests that the Senate battleground has been changing," said Wesleyan's Travis Ridout (Wesleyan Media Project).

Some of the moves were pullbacks. Senate Leadership Fund's net change in Georgia's Senate race was negative on Oct. 21–22, and North Carolina saw the biggest net drop of any state in those two days. In the same window, WinSenate added $2.16 million in Ohio (Legis1). Earlier in October, Congressional Leadership Fund canceled $13.3 million in four House races and put more money into 16 others (AP via PBS NewsHour).

MAGA Inc. and the $400 million mark

Trump has said his political operation would spend more than $400 million by Election Day (CNBC). Federal filings so far document about $300 million. MAGA Inc. reported $300.5 million in disbursements through Oct. 14, including $200 million sent to No Going Back PAC and $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC, and it still had $164.3 million in cash (CNBC).

The groups MAGA Inc. funds kept spending after that. No Going Back had spent about $242.2 million by Oct. 29 (CNBC). It held only $8.5 million on Oct. 14, so it has received more money since then, but the donors won't be disclosed until December. In our Oct. 19–30 tally, No Going Back, Safety & Affordability and MAGA Inc. itself reported about $118 million in large items combined. Those figures overlap with MAGA Inc.'s transfers, so they can't be added to its $300.5 million.

Whether MAGA Inc.'s own total passes $400 million won't be known until the post-general reports, which cover through Nov. 23 and are due Dec. 3. For earlier coverage, see MAGA Inc.'s October blitz, where its money has gone, and the complaint over Trump's control of the PAC.

What to watch

24- and 48-hour reports will keep arriving through Election Day and a few days after it. The complete picture of the final weeks, including who paid for it, comes Dec. 3. We will update the 2026 Super PAC Tracker when those reports arrive.

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