OpenSecrets.org

Pharma industry and Ballard Partners dominate the lobbying space in second quarter of 2025 - OpenSecrets News The pharmaceuticals and health products companies continued to dominate the lobbying space in the second quarter of 2025, spending $105.4…

Read our full analysis here: 👇
www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Table that shows the organizations that spent the most money on lobbying in Q2 of 2025.

Biggest spender: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber spent $19.8M, up just $10,000 from the quarter prior. The National Association of Realtors spent the second most, $16.2M.

Table that showing the lobbying firms that made the most money in Q2 of 2025.

Top lobbing firm: Ballard Partners

Partners raked in $20M during Q2, continuing a growth pattern, up from $13.9M in Q1. Both White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi worked for Ballard before joining the administration.

Table showing the industries that spent the most on lobbying in Q2 of 2025.

Industry leader: Pharma.

Pharmaceutical and health products companies continued to dominate the lobbying space in Q2, spending $105.4M. That industry has spent more on lobbying than any other, during every quarter but one, since 2010.

We analyzed the latest lobbying data to see which industries, lobbying firms and organizations were most heavily involved in efforts to influence public policy during Q2 of 2025. 🧵

Trump administration profile: Mike Huckabee - OpenSecrets News Mike Huckabee, a two-time presidential candidate and former Republican governor of Arkansas, was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Israel in…

As the U.S. becomes increasingly involved in conflicts in the Middle East, we explore U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee’s track record on transparency & foreign influence. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Sign up for our free newsletter and stay ahead of the headlines: www.opensecrets.org/newsletter/s...

The Maine Idea Behind Campaign Finance Reform The next steps for the Pine Tree State’s campaign finance laws

"The Maine Idea Behind Campaign Finance Reform" @nationaljournal.com ournal www.nationaljournal.com/s/729103/the...

New tax policy may bring political campaigns to the pulpit, critics say • Iowa Capital Dispatch Critics say allowing houses of worship to endorse political candidates could open the door to increased political divide.

"New tax policy may bring political campaigns to the pulpit, critics say" @iowacapitaldispatch.com iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/07/22/p...

The big winner from Coca-Cola's Trump-inspired sugar push The sugar industry has long been protected and now Trump has given it another shot in the arm by pressing Coca Cola.

"The big winner from Coca-Cola's Trump-inspired sugar push" BBC www.bbc.com/news/article...

'One big beautiful' lobbying effort propels law firms, K Street revenues Top lobbying firms in Washington reported a surge in cash for the second quarter of the year, as companies, industry groups and others grappled with President Donald Trump's policies and sought to shape his "big, beautiful" tax-and-spending bill, which was signed into law earlier this month.

"'One big beautiful' lobbying effort propels law firms, K Street revenues" - @davidjthomas.bsky.social @reuters.com @legal.reuters.com www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Here’s some recent media citations from outlets around the nation. 👇

OpenSecrets in the News: Reporters use OpenSecrets political donor data for their investigative reporting on money in politics.

Karoline Leavitt’s 2022 campaign committee still owes $323,000 - OpenSecrets News President Donald Trump’s White House press secretary has a money problem that won’t go away. As spring turned to summer,…

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ran for Congress in 2022. Her campaign committee owes more than $300K to donors and vendors, but did not raise any money last quarter to pay down that debt. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

The numbers for January-June political fundraising are in, and we've tallied them up to see which House and Senate candidates raised the most money, and who has the most in the bank. More data at: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

OpenSecrets takes a closer look at the bipartisan pattern of a jump in PAC donations after new House members receive committee assignments.
Read more: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

$10,000 stolen from Speaker Mike Johnson’s campaign committee - OpenSecrets News Speaker Mike Johnson is celebrating massive cuts to foreign aid programs and public media that he successfully navigated through the…

Someone swiped a paper check from Speaker Mike Johnson's campaign committee and used it to steal $10,000. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Gov. Phil Scott signs new campaign finance rules, other election changes into law - VTDigger Here are the key measures in this year’s package of revisions to Vermont’s election rules.

Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont signed into law a bipartisan bill that expands the list of candidates that must file campaign finance disclosure forms, increasing transparency at the state level.
vtdigger.org/2025/06/27/g...

Federal judge blocks voter-approved Maine law capping super PAC contributions - OpenSecrets News On Tuesday, a federal district judge blocked a Maine law recently passed by ballot initiative that would strictly limit the…

@davelevinthal.com is absolutely killing it with his reporting over at @opensecrets.org. Following this important case about SuperPACs and more is critical transparency work that supports democracy.
Read.
Share.
Donate if you can.
www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Federal judge blocks voter-approved Maine law capping super PAC contributions - OpenSecrets News On Tuesday, a federal district judge blocked a Maine law recently passed by ballot initiative that would strictly limit the…

A federal judge blocked a Maine law, passed by ballot initiative, that would limit the amount of money anyone could contribute to a super PAC. The law's supporters say they are willing to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Online Ad Spending in 2024 Election Totaled at Least $1.9 Billion The most comprehensive analysis to date shows the scale of political spending on the four largest digital platforms, as well as stark differences in strategy between candidates, parties, and outside g...

New analysis by the @brennancenter.org, OpenSecrets, & @wesmediaproject.bsky.social found political advertisers spent $1.9 billion on online ads for the 2024 election on the four largest digital platforms.
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

We are hiring at @opensecrets.org! If you are interested in working with and analyzing large datasets - and you care about government transparency and accountability - apply now to join our research team. www.opensecrets.org/about/jobs?1

Sign up for our free newsletter and stay ahead of the headlines: www.opensecrets.org/newsletter/s...

Headline: "A dive into the Board of Visitors political donations" Text from article: The Cavalier Daily obtained data on the Board members’ political donation history from OpenSecrets, which provides data on American political donations, and the Virginia Public Access Project, a resource for information on Virginia elections, campaign finance and news. The two resources sometimes report different information on Board members, with OpenSecrets typically offering a more complete history that includes smaller contributions.

A dive into the Board of Visitors’ political donations (Grace Little, The Cavalier Daily) www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

Vivek Ramaswamy flexes fundraising muscle, sets new record for campaign contributions Ohio republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign announced it has raised a record $9.7 million since he entered the race.

Vivek Ramaswamy flexes fundraising muscle, sets new record for campaign contributions (Jeremy Pelzer, Cleveland Plain Dealer) www.cleveland.com/news/2025/07...

Text from article: Three commissioners have stepped down since the president began his second term in January, leaving it essentially defunct until Trump makes those appointments. Trump has yet to name any potential nominees and the White House has yet to address Musk's intention to form a new party. DailyMail.com has approached the White House for comment. Democrat Ann Ravel, who served on the FEC from 2013 to 2017, believes Trump may already want to leave it in shutdown mode for his own motivations. 'Clearly, there is no doubt that President Trump wants to purposely leave the FEC without a quorum,' she claimed to Open Secrets.

Elon Musk faces glaring hurdle as he forms new America Party after Trump feud (Stephen M. Lepore, Daily Mail) www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Text from article: her U.S. Senate campaign, “a clear difference between her and the other Democrats in the primary,” according to a statement from her campaign. The dig is aimed at Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi who accepted $835,753 in business PAC money in his 2024 congressional campaign, and Congresswoman Robin Kelly, who accepted about $1 million the same year, according to Open Secrets data.

Illinois Playbook (Shia Kapos, Politico) www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Washington Examiner headline that reads "How a Supreme Court Case on campaign finance could change elections"

Text from the article: In 2025, the coordinated party expenditure limits range from $127,200 to $3,946,100 for Senate nominees, depending on each state’s voting age population. For House nominees with one representative, the limit is $127,200. For House nominees in all other states, the limit is $63,600. Brendan Glavin, director of insights for OpenSecrets, told the Washington Examiner in an interview that overturning the FEC rule would likely result in more joint fundraising committees. It would also allow donors who have the means to write a “max-out check” to a candidate to coordinate closely with a party and ensure their funds go directly to the person they want to support, he said.

How a Supreme Court case on campaign finance could change elections (Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner) www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaig...

OpenSecrets in the News: Reporters use OpenSecrets’ political donor data for their investigative reporting on money in politics.

Trump Administration Puts Pesticide Lobbyist in Top EPA Role Kyle Kunkler, the American Soybean Association’s longtime top lobbyist, will now oversee federal pesticide policy, a central focus of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative he spent years fightin...

Trump Administration Puts Pesticide Lobbyist in Top EPA Role (@sludge.bsky.social) readsludge.com/2025/07/08/t...