Meet the megadonors pouring more than $1.6 billion into the 2026 election

The top donors in American politics have poured more than $1.6 billion so far this cycle into influencing the country’s politics, according to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission data.

The donors lean Republican, and cash could prove critical for the GOP to maintain control of Congress in November. In the first half of 2026, Republican-leaning donors gave $1.05 billion, compared with $360 million from Democratic-leaning givers and $230 million from bipartisan and special interest groups.

But most of the money, regardless of affiliation, was given to super PACs that can legally accept unlimited sums.

Billionaires and newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk make up the top individual donors.

In some cases, individual contributors donate to political action committees through companies they own rather than under their own name. For example, billionaire Democratic donor George Soros is the owner of Geosor and the Fund for Policy Reform, which together gave $102 million in the first six months of the cycle.

Individual donors pumped the most money into this cycle, but a variety of groups also weighed in with big donations.

The list includes organizations that are focused on advancing a cause rather than being affiliated with a political party. Among them are the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, as well as the cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Ripple and sports gambling company DraftKings.

The Washington Post analyzed contributions to federal political committees since Jan. 1, 2025, covering donations reported to the Federal Election Commission as of July 20, 2026. Direct independent expenditures, loans, refunds, bank payments such as interest and dividends, and contributions from a candidate to their own campaign are not included. Donations made by federal political action committees are not part of the list of top donors. Giving from some individuals includes donations from organizations controlled by them. Groups that gave to support candidates from both parties, or gave largely to nonpartisan PACs, are marked as “special interest.” If individuals endorsed President Donald Trump, they are marked as Republican. This tally will be updated periodically.