How much did the United Democracy Project spend on independent ads supporting or opposing presidential candidates in 2024?
Executive summary
The United Democracy Project (UDP) spent heavily on independent expenditures in the 2024 cycle, but the reporting and public filings show those independent ad buys were concentrated on House races — not presidential campaigns — and there is no documented independent spending by UDP specifically supporting or opposing presidential candidates in the sources provided [1] [2] [3].
1. UDP’s stated mission and where its money went
UDP, a super PAC tied to pro‑Israel advocacy, raised and spent tens of millions during the 2023–24 cycle and focused its media buys on federal races where it sought to influence who wins primaries and general elections, especially Democratic House primaries and contests UDP viewed as critical to U.S. policy on Israel (FactCheck; OpenSecrets) [1] [2].
2. The public data show heavy independent spending, but on House contests
OpenSecrets’ outside‑spending tab for UDP breaks down its 2024 independent spending into support and opposition by party and found roughly $14.06 million “for” Democrats and about $20.78 million “against” Democrats, with $0 listed as “for” Republicans and about $3.08 million “against” Republicans — totals that reflect targeted spending in House and other federal contests, not presidential campaigns [2].
3. No documented independent expenditures for presidential candidates in the provided sources
Across the reporting and the OpenSecrets independent‑expenditure records and committee summary provided, there is no itemized independent‑expenditure figure attributed to UDP for supporting or opposing a presidential candidate in 2024; OpenSecrets’ breakdown shows zero “for” Republicans and the narrative coverage highlights House ad blitzes rather than presidential buys, which indicates UDP’s ad dollars were not deployed to back or attack presidential campaigns in the sources at hand [2] [4] [5].
4. Concrete numbers that the sources do provide
FactCheck reported UDP had raised roughly $68.4 million through August and spent about $56 million as of its September account, with nearly $12.4 million spent supporting some Democratic candidates and more than $20 million opposing other Democrats — figures cited in that analysis and consistent with OpenSecrets’ breakdown that centers on House spending rather than presidential spending [1] [2]. Investigative coverage (Sludge) and media‑buy trackers likewise attributed tens of millions to UDP’s ad campaigns focused on House races, with at least $37.9 million cited as independent expenditures for House contests in one account [3].
5. Caveats, alternative readings and gaps in the record
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) database and outside‑spending trackers like OpenSecrets are the primary sources for independent‑expenditure reporting, but filings can be complex and categorized by target race; the sources provided do not show any explicit UDP independent expenditure line items tied to presidential candidates and therefore cannot substantiate any presidential ad spending by UDP in 2024 — absence of evidence in these sources is not proof of absolute non‑existence, only that the documented and reported independent expenditures were focused on House races in the available records [2] [6] [4].
6. Bottom line
Based on the available public reporting and outside‑spending breakdowns from FactCheck and OpenSecrets, UDP’s 2024 independent‑expenditure ad spending ran into the tens of millions but was aimed at House contests; the provided sources do not show any amount spent by United Democracy Project specifically supporting or opposing presidential candidates in 2024 [1] [2] [3].