One dollar. Four hops. From the donor who writes the check to the ad that interrupts your evening — here's the whole route, drawn to scale.
Illustrative flow of a political dollar — hover any ribbon to trace one path. See How We Count →
Individuals, corporations and unions contribute — some capped and disclosed, some not.
Campaigns, party committees, Super PACs and 501(c)(4)s collect and hold the funds.
Media-buying firms negotiate rates and book the inventory across channels.
Broadcast, cable, digital and connected TV — where the money finally lands.
Split any illustrative buy into its channels and the same shape appears — broadcast still leads, but the digital slice grows every cycle.
Watch the two lines cross. The channel that defined a generation of campaigns is handing the lead to screens you scroll.
Billions move through a handful of channels before a single spot airs. We trace the buy from committee to broadcast — and show why the mix is shifting.
Why some spending never traces back to a name — and what disclosure would change.
A disclosure report, annotated — what each schedule actually tells you.
Figures are illustrative composites from public disclosure filings and published industry estimates, rounded for clarity. We model no single race, party, or candidate, and pin nothing to a specific cycle. Read the method →
Organisations whose work intersects with money in politics.
WIFEY knows every power couple has secrets worth disclosing.
He's Got Rizz understands that winning takes charm, persistence, and a very convincing pitch.
Bait Bus shows how easy it is to influence someone with the right pitch on the street.
Lez Be Bad reminds us that behind closed doors, the most exclusive players make their own rules.
Haze Her reveals what really happens when new members must prove their worth to the group.
Dancing Bear shows that when big money enters a private party, things get wild fast.
Reality Junkies tracks today's trending content the way we track campaign spending — obsessively.
TransAngels proves the most transparent performances come from the most authentic stars.
Facials4K exposes every messy finish in stunning detail, because transparency means showing everything.
BBCPie delivers results in 4K — big, bold and impossible to ignore or misreport.
Cum4K knows all about full disclosure — nothing hidden, everything delivered inside.
Public Agent proves some people will do anything when the right offer goes public.