Veterans & national securityGroups that advocate on veterans’ and national-security policy. A group whose only aim is electing veterans is under Electing women's & communities' candidates.Causes › Foreign policy & securityPlaced by our rules or a model’s suggestion, and not yet checked by a person. The money still counts here; a person may move it.
$1.8M raised, $1.8M spent, $167K cash on hand (through Sep 30, 2026). Where it comes from
Who funds it
98% filed as other receipts · largest donor Common Defense Civic Engagment, $649.7K. See who funds it
Where it goes
$868.2K spent for candidates and $63.3K against them, most on NE-SEN ($422.8K) · $7.5K given to candidates and committees, the largest to Brad Lander ($2.5K) · 59% of its support to Democrats, 41% to candidates of other or unresolved parties. See where it goes
Where it spendsWhich races and candidates is its money for or against?
“Common Defense organizes veterans and engages the military community to transform our society by advocating for progressive policies that work for all of us.”
Quoted from the committee's site, or its sponsor's or funder's where its own says nothing. Any side it takes is in its own words.
No published list of positions
Its site sums up what it stands for in the statement above, and publishes no list of positions beyond it.
Who it gives toWhich candidates and committees get its money?
Each part reads different filings, so counts and totals can differ.
Party support distribution$875.7K to 8 candidates
Direct PAC contributions and independent expenditures explicitly reported as support, by the party of the candidate they went to.
For candidates $875,658
Democratic 59%Other or unresolved 41%
Against candidates $63,331
Democratic 100%
Support by the party of the candidate
Party of the candidate
Candidates
Direct
Independent
Amount
Share
Democratic
6
$7,500
$508,665
$516,165
59%
Other or unresolved
2
$0
$359,494
$359,494
41%
Shown support
8
$7,500
$868,158
$875,658
100%
Spending against candidates is drawn on its own bar and left out of the support totals.
Contributions are reported money, not endorsements; a PAC giving to both parties is common.
Who this PAC gave to$7,500 in 6 payments
Every contribution on line 23 of the committee’s own Schedule B, which is the filing its summary totals are built from. That line covers federal candidates, party committees and other political committees alike, so a super PAC funding other super PACs appears here rather than under candidate giving.
By recipient
Line 23 contributions by kind and party of recipient
Recipient
Count
Amount
Democratic candidates
6
$7.5K · 100%
All recipients
6
$7.5K
By the candidate’s state
Contributions to candidates by the candidate’s state
State
Candidates
Amount
New York
1
$2.5K
Maine
1
$1K
Michigan
1
$1K
New Jersey
1
$1K
North Carolina
1
$1K
Minnesota
1
$1K
Recipients 6
Show candidate activity and the money network
Candidate and election activity as the recipients filed it
Brad Lander1 receipt, latest Jun 18, 2026Lander for Congress · H6NY10176$2.5K
Nida Allam1 receipt, latest Feb 24, 2026Nida for NC · H2NC06098$1K
Analilia Mejia1 receipt, latest Feb 5, 2026Analilia Mejia for New Jersey · H6NJ11286$1K
Graham Platner1 receipt, latest Sep 5, 2025Graham for Maine · S6ME00373$1K
Abdul El-Sayed1 receipt, latest Mar 2, 2026Abdul for U.S. Senate · S6MI00418$1K
Candidate contribution rows come from candidate committee Schedule A filings, the same rows the party chart above counts.
Money inWho funds the PAC?
Where the money came from $1,823,490 reported receipts
Tap a row with to see who gave.
Other receiptsWhere a super PAC files what corporations, unions and other organizations give it, since they have no line of their own. Hybrid PACs, and some super PACs, file individuals' unlimited gifts here too, along with any interest or dividends.$1,787,08398%
Where it came from
Common Defense Civic Engagment4 receipts, latest Jun 22, 2026 · New York, New York$649,665
The 13 largest sources are listed. Each as the committee named it on this line, $1.2M from 4 sources in all, with its largest individual donors, whose gifts it files here too. Individuals' gifts on this line are not itemized in the data the site holds, so the list need not add up to the row.
Unitemized ($200 or less)Donors who have given $200 or less this cycle, so the FEC does not itemize (name) them.$29,7531.6%
Itemized (over $200)Donors who have given more than $200 this cycle, so the FEC itemizes (names) them.$6,6540.4%
Total reported receipts $1,823,490
Every dollar the committee reported receiving this cycle, split by the source the FEC filing attributes it to. FEC filings through Sep 30, 2026.
Where the money traces to $1.8M followed back through up to 3 committees
4% to named individuals, 37% to organizations, 25% to tax-exempt organizations that need not name their donors, 34% not itemized.
Gave directly$1.7M 95%
Gave directly
Name
Amount
Common Defense Civic EngagmentOrganization · 36%
$649,665
Not itemized by this committee33%
$595,656
Contours IncOrganization · tax-exempt organization that need not name its donors · 25%
$450,000
Zenith ResearchOrganization · 1.3%
$22,955
Jabe BlumenthalPerson · Houston, TX · 0.5%
$10,000
Through Movement Voter PAC$28.8K 1.6%
Through Movement Voter PAC
Name
Amount
Who donated: where they live, their employers and jobs
Where the donors live $1,208,717 placed by state
Loading the map
Tap or hover over a state, or focus the map and use the arrow keys, to read its total. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom.
under $27.3K
$27.3K+
$109.3K+
$246K+
$437.4K+
none
Top states
Top donor states
Name
Amount
New York71 contributions · 57%
$683,433
Delaware1 contribution · 37%
$450,000
California138 contributions · 1.2%
$14,715
Texas14 contributions · 1.1%
SpendingWhere does the money go?
How the spending splits $1,846,219 reported
Tap a row with to see who was paid.
Independent expendituresSpending to support or oppose a candidate, made without coordinating with them.$931,49050%
Spent for or against
Abdul El-SayedSupport · 1 record · latest Jun 22, 2026$289,665
Cindy BurbankSupport · 5 records · latest Jun 15, 2026$286,049
Graham PlatnerSupport · 3 records · latest Jun 15, 2026$219,000
Mike MarvinSupport · 5 records · latest Jun 15, 2026$73,445
William ForbesOppose · 2 records · latest Jun 15, 2026$63,331
Other disbursementsEverything the committee reports outside the lines above.$894,62848%
Paid to
Operating expendituresThe committee's own running costs.$12,1010.7%
Contribution refundsMoney returned to the people and committees that gave it.$500<0.1%
Total reported disbursements $1,846,219
Every dollar this committee reported spending this cycle, split by the lines it reports against. Open a line to see who was actually paid on it. FEC filings through Sep 30, 2026.
What the payments were for $1,684,259 itemized
These are the payments the committee itemized, including its independent expenditures, which are filed against the candidate each was for or against rather than as payments to a vendor. Open a category to see which candidates its independent spending went to, and in support or opposition.
Tap a row with to see what was paid for.
Given to othersContributions to other candidates, party committees, and PACs.$745,02344%
Filed as
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: DIGITAL ADVERTISING$273,615
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: REIMBURSEMENT -$149,323
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT - POLITICAL STRATEGY CONSULTING$49,804
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: POLITICAL STRATEGY CONSULTING$23,000
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: SOFTWARE$21,376
NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: RESEARCH CONSULTING
Spending over time
$1.8M spent from Jan 2025 to Sep 2026. Most in one report: $941.3K, Apr 1 – Jun 30, 2026.
$1.8M123
Jan 2025Nov 2026
1May 12, 2026 primary, NE-SEN$422.8K of its independent spending was aimed at it
2Aug 4, 2026 primary, MI-SEN$289.7K of its independent spending was aimed at it
3Nov 3, 2026 general election, ME-SEN$219K of its independent spending was aimed at it
The running total of what the committee’s FEC reports say it spent, independent expenditures included, with a point at the end of each report. The line is straight between reports because a report gives one total for its whole period. Numbered lines mark the elections that drew the most independent spending. Each expenditure counts toward the next election on its seat after the day it was made, and a seat is named when it drew at least a tenth of that spending. The line stops at the latest report, through Sep 30, 2026, at the dashed rule; elections after it are marked where they fall.
Each report’s total
Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2026$215,225
Apr 1 – Jun 30, 2026$941,283
Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026$77,839
Jul 1 – Dec 31, 2025$140,356
Jan 1 – Jun 30, 2025$471,515
Show other payments: transfers, refunds and the rest
A name search for “COMMON DEFENSE ACTION FUND” in Lobbying Disclosure Act filings found no issues reported. FEC and the Senate share no organization identifier, so lobbying is matched by name; a sponsor that lobbies under another name is not found.
Common Defense Action Fund is registered with the Federal Election Commission as a Hybrid PAC (nonqualified). Official FEC summary: Federal Election Commission committee record.
Common Defense Action Fund is matched to organization records using the FEC committee identity, structured identifiers, and corroborated organization data.
Structured organization facts
Identity match
Exact FEC committee ID in LittleSis
Match confidence
high
Source coverage
Official pages captured
48
LittleSis classifications
Organization, Political Fundraising Committee
Last captured
Sep 29, 2026
LittleSis data is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
BLBrad LanderDemocratic · U.S. House · NY-10 · via Lander For Congress1 payment, latest Jun 18, 2026 · CONTRIBUTION · FEC filing, Jun 18, 2026$2.5K
AMAnalilia MejiaDemocratic · U.S. House · NJ-11 · via Analilia Mejia For New Jersey1 payment, latest Feb 5, 2026 · CONTRIBUTION · FEC filing, Feb 5, 2026$1K
NANida AllamDemocratic · U.S. House · NC-04 · via Nida For Nc1 payment, latest Feb 24, 2026 · CONTRIBUTION · FEC filing, Feb 24, 2026$1K
PFPeggy FlanaganDemocratic · U.S. Senate · MN · via Peggy Flanagan For Minnesota1 payment, latest Mar 2, 2026 · CONTRIBUTION · FEC filing, Mar 2, 2026$1K
Bars drawn to $2.5K, the largest gift total here. 2025–2026 filings.
Committee money network
Money moving between this committee and other committees, matched on FEC committee ID rather than the name each filing was typed under. Both sides exclude memo entries. The figures here count each committee once, from the itemized transfers read for this section, so they will not match the payment counts under Who this PAC gave to.
Committees funding this one
Committees that reported giving to this one on their own Schedule A filings, grouped by the giver’s committee ID.
No committee-to-committee receipts were itemized this cycle.
Committees this one funds
Disbursements this committee itemized to another committee: candidate contributions, party transfers and payments alike, not contributions only.
$7.5K across 6 recipient committees, or 0.4% of everything this committee reports spending.
Built from FEC Schedule A and Schedule B filings for the selected cycle. A committee only appears here if the money was itemized under its FEC committee ID.
Not itemized by Movement Voter PAC1.6%
$28,795
98 smaller sources, $66.4K in all (3.6%), are not listed.
Each committee that gave is followed to where its own money came from, in proportion to what it received: a committee that got half its money from one person is counted as passing half of what it gave on to that person. Each channel shows the committee the money came through and its place in the money tree. It shows who stood behind the money, not what that money was for, and an organization that need not name its donors ends the trail. It stops at a person, an organization, a committee with nothing on file here, or 3committees deep. A person who gave by more than one route appears under each, a name filed two ways may appear twice, and a person's job and city are as they filed them. "Also behind" counts the other groups, among those that moved $100,000 or more into races, in which $100,000 or more traces to the same person, other than those this money came through or went on to.
$12,850
Maryland11 contributions · 0.5%
$5,987
Washington15 contributions · 0.3%
$3,916
Arizona12 contributions · 0.3%
$3,829
Florida30 contributions · 0.3%
$3,631
By the state each contributor wrote on the filing. The FEC aggregates every Schedule A line together, so one committee or organization transfer can account for a whole state. Contributors who have given $200 or less this cycle are not itemized and cannot be placed on a map. The FEC’s grouping also counts joint-fundraising memo lines, so these rows can add up to more than the itemized total.
Donors’ employers as filed
Donors’ employers
Employer as filed
Amount
Physician1 contribution · 20% of ranked
$5,000
Self-employedWritten instead of an employer · 29 contributions · 17% of ranked
$4,235
Not employedWritten instead of an employer · 4 contributions · 7.1% of ranked
$1,750
Reed Bonadonna17 contributions · 5.7% of ranked
$1,400
DRW Holdings13 contributions · 2.6% of ranked
$650
EYE For ART INC3 contributions · 2.6% of ranked
$650
NYU2 contributions · 2.4% of ranked
$600
United Airlines12 contributions · 2.4% of ranked
$600
A further $1,183,950 came from donors whose answer names no employer (N/A, blank), so it is not ranked. Itemized receipts grouped by the words contributors filed. The FEC aggregates every Schedule A line here, so committee and organization money sits alongside individuals; this is not an industry classification. The FEC’s grouping also counts joint-fundraising memo lines, so these rows can add up to more than the itemized total. Gifts of $200 or less ($29,753) are not itemized, so no employer or occupation is filed for them.
Donors’ occupations as filed
Donors’ occupations
Occupation as filed
Amount
Not employedWritten instead of an occupation · 393 contributions · 72% of ranked
$60,407
Montefiore Medical Center1 contribution · 6% of ranked
$5,000
Writer17 contributions · 1.7% of ranked
$1,400
Business Owner4 contributions · 1.4% of ranked
$1,150
Physician3 contributions · 1.2% of ranked
$1,000
Pilot13 contributions · 1% of ranked
$850
Psychologist2 contributions · 0.9% of ranked
$750
Professor4 contributions · 0.8% of ranked
$654
A further $1,124,869 came from donors whose answer names no occupation (N/A, blank), so it is not ranked. Itemized receipts grouped by the words contributors filed. The FEC aggregates every Schedule A line here, so committee and organization money sits alongside individuals; this is not an industry classification. The FEC’s grouping also counts joint-fundraising memo lines, so these rows can add up to more than the itemized total. Gifts of $200 or less ($29,753) are not itemized, so no employer or occupation is filed for them.
Middle Seat Consulting7 payments · latest Jun 27, 2025 · NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: DIGITAL ADVERTISING$270,000
Common Defense Civic Engagment3 payments · latest Sep 29, 2026 · NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT - REIMBURSEMENT: VENDORS THAT ITEMIZE LISTED BELOW$152,501
Printing, mail, and shippingPrinted literature, direct mail, postage, design, and delivery.$565.8K of it was independent spending for Abdul El-Sayed and for Cindy Burbank and 1 more$565,75934%
Filed as
Direct Mail - ActualIndependent spending in support of Abdul El-Sayed$289,665
Printing and Postage - ActualIndependent spending: $222.7K in support of Cindy Burbank · $53.4K in support of Mike Marvin$276,094
Paid to
The Baseline AgencyIndependent spending in support of Abdul El-Sayed$289,665
Pinpoint CampaignsIndependent spending: $222.7K in support of Cindy Burbank · $53.4K in support of Mike Marvin$276,094
Advertising and mediaBroadcast, digital, and print advertising, and the media buying behind it.$242.1K of it was independent spending for Graham Platner and against William Forbes and 2 more$242,12514%
Filed as
Television AdvertisingIndependent spending in support of Graham Platner$150,000
Digital AdvertisingIndependent spending in support of Graham Platner$50,000
Digital Advertising ProductionIndependent spending: $19K in support of Graham Platner · $7.7K in opposition to William Forbes and 2 more$42,125
Paid to
Debra Schommer Media GroupIndependent spending in support of Graham Platner$200,000
Three Point MediaIndependent spending: $7.7K in opposition to William Forbes · $7.7K in support of Cindy Burbank and 1 more$23,125
Challengers, LLCIndependent spending in support of Graham Platner$19,000
OtherPayments whose filed description does not match any category above. Every one is listed so it can be read directly.$123.6K of it was independent spending for Cindy Burbank and against William Forbes and 1 more$123,6067.3%
Filed as
Digital Advetising - ActualIndependent spending: $55.6K in support of Cindy Burbank · $55.6K in opposition to William Forbes and 1 more$123,606
Paid to
Sunny DAY StrategiesIndependent spending: $55.6K in support of Cindy Burbank · $55.6K in opposition to William Forbes and 1 more$123,606
Card paymentsPaid to a card processor with no itemisation filed beneath it, so the purchases behind it are not on the record.$7,7460.5%
Every itemized payment the committee reported this cycle, sorted by what it said each one was for. The categories are ours; the wording they are matched against is the committee’s own. Open a category to read the filed descriptions and who was paid. FEC filings through Sep 30, 2026.
All 241 itemized payments filed this cycle. Spending below the itemization threshold is not filed line by line.
1 payment was reported as a lump sum, such as a card or payroll bill, with the detail filed underneath as memo entries. Those entries, $17,784 in all, are counted under the payee and purpose they name rather than under the processor that was paid. The total is the same either way.
Largest vendors
Largest vendors
Name
Amount
The Baseline Agency2 payments · 17% of all spending
$317,638
Pinpoint Campaigns6 payments · 15% of all spending
$276,094
Middle Seat Consulting7 payments · 15% of all spending
$270,000
Debra Schommer Media Group2 payments · 11% of all spending
$200,000
Common Defense Civic Engagment3 payments · 8.3% of all spending
$152,501
Sunny DAY Strategies3 payments · 6.7% of all spending
$123,606
Zenith Research2 payments · 2.5% of all spending
$46,000
Middle Seat5 payments · 2.4% of all spending
$45,000
The people, firms and committees paid the most, across every kind of payment. Each share is of everything the committee reported spending this cycle, not only the itemized payments above. A payee that is itself a committee links to its own profile.
Middle Seat Consulting7 payments, latest Jun 27, 2025NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT: DIGITAL ADVERTISING$270K
Common Defense Civic Engagment3 payments, latest Sep 29, 2026NON-CONTRIBUTION ACCOUNT - REIMBURSEMENT: VENDORS THAT ITEMIZE LISTED BELOW$152.5K
