Concerning theSourcesof This Account, with a Glossary

Where the numbers come fromOf Where the Numbers Come From

The figures come from reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). After Citizens United collects those filings, checks them and publishes them with a link to each source record.

This site embeds After Citizens United’s evidence cards rather than copying the numbers, so each card shows the current publication. The cards appear in white framed panels so you can tell them apart from this site’s own writing.

Filing records are not a certified ballot. Cards can include candidates from earlier stages of the cycle. Use the state election office for current ballot and district information.

Election scope and the November 3, 2026 general-election date: FEC election calendar. House seat directory: U.S. House of Representatives. These sources do not establish complete finance coverage.

Three datesOf Three Dates

• Source collection dateWhen After Citizens United retrieved the filings (UTC).
• Reporting periodThe dates a filer’s report covers.
• Publication dateWhen After Citizens United published the dataset this site shows.

Outside spendingOf Outside Spending

A group can report spending money on communications (ads, mail, digital messages) that support or oppose a federal candidate, without coordinating with the campaign. These independent expenditures are reported to the FEC. The candidate does not receive this money.

What “supports” and “opposes” meanOf “Supports” and “Opposes”

Each independent expenditure report says whether the communication supported or opposed the named candidate. “Supports” and “Opposes” repeat what the filer reported; they are not this site’s judgement.

In this guide a report of support is marked ✚For (a solid plum label with a cross) and a report of opposition is marked —Against (an amber outlined label with a dash), so the difference never depends on colour alone. Party names are shown as plain text.

Spending is not receivingOf Spending, Which Is Not Receiving

Three different things:

• A contribution is money given to a candidate’s campaign committee. A contribution to a committee is not necessarily a payment to the person.
• Outside spending is paid for by the group and goes to the vendors who make and place the ads.
• A vendor payment is that payment to a media buyer, printer or consultant. The vendor is the payee, not the subject of the ad.

The roles stay separate:

• SpenderThe group that paid for the communication.
• Candidate (the subject)The person the communication is about.
• Vendor (the payee)The business paid to make or place it.
• Recipient (for contributions)The committee that received a contribution.

No record is not zeroOf No Record, Which Is Not Zero

“No record found within current coverage” means no filing was found in the period After Citizens United has collected. It is not the same as $0. Filings submitted after the collection date, or not yet processed, will not appear.

What this guide leaves outOf What This Guide Leaves Out

Communications that do not have to be reported to the FEC (such as many issue ads), state and local races, lobbying, and spending reported after the collection date. Individual donors are not profiled.

Pennsylvania has no U.S. Senate election in 2026, so this guide covers the state’s 17 U.S. House races only.

GlossaryA Glossary of Terms

Contribution

Money given to a candidate’s campaign committee. A contribution to a committee is not necessarily a payment to the person.

Independent expenditure (outside spending)

Money a group reports spending on communications (ads, mail, digital messages) that support or oppose a federal candidate, without coordinating with the campaign. The candidate does not receive this money.

Supports / Opposes

What the filer reported about a communication: whether it supported or opposed the named candidate. Marked “For” and “Against” in this guide. Not this site’s judgement.

Spender

The group that paid for a communication and reported it to the FEC.

Vendor (payee)

The media buyer, printer or consultant paid to make or place a communication. The vendor is the payee, not the subject of the ad.

Recipient

For contributions, the committee that received the money.

Coverage

The filings After Citizens United has collected so far. “No record found within current coverage” means no filing was found in that period; it is not the same as $0.

Reporting period

The dates a filer’s report covers.

Publication

The dataset After Citizens United published and this site’s evidence cards show. Its publication date is when it was published.

Candidate (subject)

The candidate a communication is about. The subject does not receive the money spent on it.

Corrections & contact

Send a correction to After Citizens United. Include this site’s name, the page URL, the item in question and a link to the official filing or election source. Do not include private addresses or credentials.

Evidence-card figures change when After Citizens United publishes corrected data. Corrections to this guide’s own explanations are reviewed separately.

About this guideConcerning This Guide

The Pennsylvania Money Trail is printed by After Citizens United: an independent public-interest guide to disclosed political money in Pennsylvania’s 2026 U.S. House races. Evidence cards come from After Citizens United; you can build your own with its evidence tools.

An independent public-interest guide. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or any government agency.

This guide connects readers to reported federal campaign-finance evidence from After Citizens United. Coverage is partial and changes with the publication.