Maine campaign finance next to federal obligations

Maine’s FEC book is large; its award-row count is small

ME joins $46.3 million from 282 committees to $93,098,204,945 from 54,350 awards. 54,350 actions is the smallest count in this forty-state slice. That integer is an action count, not a ranking of Maine as less awarded. Pair it with $93,098,204,945.

A Portland contribution does not become a Bangor obligation because both strings say Maine. Maine campaign finance, Maine USAspending, and All FEC ties are the three hrefs.

Shipyard folklore is why some readers arrive. If those recipients appear, they live on Maine USAspending — not among the 282 candidate committees. 54,350 remains an action count, the smallest in this slice, not a ranking of Maine as less awarded in any sense.

State-office campaigns in Maine file under state law and sit outside $46.3 million. Local procurement paid without a federal award sits outside $93,098,204,945. This page names two federal disclosure systems — FEC.gov candidate receipts and USAspending.gov awards — and stops. A third system would be a different citation.

A short roster can still hold a large receipt total

Democratic committees reported $33.0 million (71.3%). Republican committees reported $13.2 million (28.6%). Other filers reported $0.1 million (0.2%). 282 committees is a short roster. Senate contests can dominate $46.3 million in a small-state book. This packet does not isolate Senate versus House, so this page will not either.

State races file with Maine’s system, outside $46.3 million. Sort Maine campaign finance by receipts rather than averaging 282 into a mean that hides a handful of large accounts.

A short roster of 282 committees can still hold $46.3 million if a few Senate accounts dominate. Sort Maine campaign finance rather than averaging. Do not treat the mean as a finding. Means hide empty residual filers every time.

282 is a filing count, not a November ballot census. 54,350 is an action count, not unique vendors. Keep those nouns attached to the integers when citing Maine.

Few award rows, still a substantial dollar total

54,350 awards behind $93,098,204,945 can mean fewer, larger actions — or restatements. This packet does not publish a mean award. Quote the pair. Skip the homemade average. Shipyard and research folklore need Maine USAspending, not 71.3% from the candidate file.

Repeat awards add rows even on a small file. 54,350 is still not unique vendors.

Quote Maine campaign finance for the live FEC roster of 282 committees and $46.3 million in receipts. Quote Maine USAspending for $93,098,204,945 and 54,350 awards. All FEC ties keeps ME in a series of geographic joins. None of those pages adds receipts to obligations or assigns FEC party codes to awards.

Do not rank Maine as safer or worse on awards

This is not a crime page, but the same rule applies to dollars: do not rank Maine as more or less successful because 54,350 is small. Agency writing patterns differ. $46.3 million does not explain the row count.

Independent expenditures about Maine candidates can be paid from elsewhere. Those dollars sit outside both packet totals.

Maine’s 282 committees and 54,350 awards answer different questions. Keep $46.3 million on the FEC.gov sentence and $93,098,204,945 on the USAspending.gov sentence even when a headline wants a single number. A single number would mix statutes. This join will not publish one.

Two Senate seats do not partition obligations

House districts and Senate seats do not partition $93,098,204,945. USAspending in this packet is a state roll-up. 54,350 awards stay statewide. 282 committees stay a statewide FEC roster.

Print $0.1 million if you publish 71.3% and 28.6% so the pie still closes on $46.3 million.

Amended candidate reports move $46.3 million. Award restatements move $93,098,204,945. Rewrite only the sentence whose source moved. Maine campaign finance and Maine USAspending are the live tables; this prose is a packet snapshot for ME.

Maine citation

FEC.gov: $46.3 million; 282 committees; Democratic $33.0 million; Republican $13.2 million; other $0.1 million. USAspending.gov: $93,098,204,945; 54,350 awards. Campaign contributions are not federal awards.

Do not rank Maine as more influential because $46.3 million sits beside $93,098,204,945. Influence is not a field in this packet. The join is ME geography only.

Questions

Why does Maine have only 54,350 awards next to $46.3 million in FEC receipts?

They count different things. 54,350 is USAspending award actions. $46.3 million is FEC candidate receipts from 282 committees. A smaller award-row count does not mean donations failed to create awards. Pair 54,350 with $93,098,204,945.

How Democratic is Maine’s federal candidate fundraising?

Democratic committees reported $33.0 million, or 71.3% of $46.3 million. Republican committees reported $13.2 million (28.6%). Other filers reported $0.1 million. Those shares describe 282 committees, not award recipients. LobbyVault joins the ME extracts only. FEC.gov and USAspending.gov remain the originating systems.

What is Maine’s federal obligation total?

USAspending.gov records $93,098,204,945 in obligations across 54,350 awards coded to Maine. That extract is not FEC operating expenditure and is not funded by $46.3 million on this page. LobbyVault joins the ME extracts only. FEC.gov and USAspending.gov remain the originating systems.

Where are Maine’s hubs?

Maine campaign finance on LobbyVault, Maine USAspending on SpendingVault, All FEC ties for other joins. Later bulk files override this snapshot. Do not add the two dollar totals together. LobbyVault joins the ME extracts only. FEC.gov and USAspending.gov remain the originating systems.