Using this data

What this is. Primary Democrats is an independent project. It tracks money from AIPAC PAC, its super PAC United Democracy Project and allied pro-Israel PACs to every Democrat in Congress, the two independents who caucus with them and Democratic governors. It shows their votes on Israel, war powers and civil liberties beside the money. It argues for 2028 primary challenges. The data is built so that people who disagree can check it.

Key figures (FEC filings through Aug 31, 2026): 211 of the 264 members of Congress we track (Democrats, the two independents who caucus with them, and delegates) backed by these groups since 2016, plus 2 governors (money received while in the House); $93.1M from AIPAC PAC and United Democracy Project ($54.4M in earmarked donations from AIPAC’s donors that AIPAC PAC passed on, $36.0M in UDP ads, $2.65M given by the PAC itself); $107.1M including the allied PACs. Totals count contributions (including earmarked donations) and supporting ad spending; spending against a candidate is never added. These are totals for Democrats in office now, not AIPAC’s total election spending: former members and spending against candidates are left out.

How it’s counted. The methodology lists every tracked committee with its FEC ID, committees we excluded and why, all scored votes with the reason each is scored, and known limitations. Corrections are logged on the change log.

Data. The money, votes, trips and 2026 primary figures are downloadable as CSV on the data page, free to use under CC BY 4.0 with credit to Primary Democrats. Each member’s page links to the underlying FEC records.

Checking a number. The download includes a transaction ledger: every FEC-filed line behind the totals, with filing and transaction IDs and a link to the filing. It adds up to each person’s total (within $1, since totals are rounded to whole dollars). Earlier releases are kept unchanged on the data page, so a figure cited today can be checked later against the data as it was. Members who leave office keep their pages, marked as former members.

What the data doesn’t show. Money and votes are shown side by side; neither proves the other. Totals cover money tied to one candidate: contributions and supporting ads. They leave out party committees and spending through other super PACs, which is described separately. Senate trips in 2020–2021 are only partly covered, and Senate stock trading is counted in reports filed, not individual trades.

How to cite it. Primary Democrats, “Pro-Israel PAC money and Democrats in Congress,” primarydemocrats.com, data through August 31, 2026.

Graphics. Share images for every member, state and the 2026 scoreboard are on the graphics page.

Contact. Questions, corrections or interview requests: use the contact form and choose “Press or research question.” Members’ offices can respond under our right-of-reply policy.

Who runs it. One independent volunteer, paying the costs out of pocket. Not affiliated with or funded by any campaign, candidate, party, PAC or organization; no donations or advertising accepted. More on the About page.