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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Do both major parties receive plenty of 'dark money' contributions?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

"Dark money" refers to political contributions from groups that don't disclose their original donors. It's made possible by a 1980 campaign-finance loophole that allows donors to remain hidden if they haven't contributed to a particular political ad. Dark money skyrocketed after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political ads.

Between 2010 and 2020, Republicans took in $714 million in dark money, vs. $351 million for Democrats. Seven of the top 10 donors support Republicans. Big names include Crossroads GPS (R), Americans for Prosperity (R), and Majority Forward (D). Democrats received more dark money than Republicans in 2018 and are on track to receive more in 2020.

Last year, House Democrats passed a bill that would effectively ban dark money, but the Republican-led Senate blocked it.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Open Secrets: Political nonprofits (dark money)
Brennan Center: Dark Money
Open Secrets: More money, less transparency
US Congress: HR1—'For the People Act' of 2019
The Hill: GOP Senator blocks sweeping election reform bill
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.