Deb Fischer
Senator · R-NE
OverviewMoney & Influence
77% of Fischer's money comes from outside NE.
The majority of funding comes from donors who cannot vote for this member.
$2.6M raised$270 avg donation23% from NE2 former staff → lobbyists
Key Findings
77% of donations come from outside NE
A supermajority of Deb Fischer's funding comes from donors who cannot vote for them.
36% of PAC money comes from industries this member's committee regulates
A significant share of funding comes from industries directly affected by this member's legislative authority.
2 former staff now work as lobbyists
Former employees have transitioned to the lobbying industry.
61% of money comes from large donors (>$1,000)
A significant share of funding comes from major individual donors.
How Does Money Flow Through Congress?
An interactive guide to the influence pipeline
Show ↓
How Does Money Flow Through Congress?
An interactive guide to the influence pipeline
How It Works
The Influence Pipeline
How money flows to — and through — Deb Fischer's office.
01
The Company
A corporation wants a law passed or blocked.
02
The PAC
Direct donations are illegal. So employees pool money into a Political Action Committee.
03
The Target
PACs fund members on committees that regulate their industry.
04
⚖️
The Committee
These committees write the laws that affect the donor's business.
07
🗳️
The Vote
Your representative votes — and the pattern is clear.
06
📋
The Lobbying
Those lobbyists push specific bills before their former colleagues.
05
🚪
The Revolving Door
Former staff become lobbyists for the same industries that fund their old boss.
The cycle repeats.
01
The Company
A corporation wants a law passed or blocked.
02
The PAC
Direct donations are illegal. So employees pool money into a Political Action Committee.
03
The Target
PACs fund members on committees that regulate their industry.
04
⚖️
The Committee
These committees write the laws that affect the donor's business.
05
🚪
The Revolving Door
Former staff become lobbyists for the same industries that fund their old boss.
06
📋
The Lobbying
Those lobbyists push specific bills before their former colleagues.
07
🗳️
The Vote
Your representative votes — and the pattern is clear.
The cycle repeats.
Follow the Money
Fischer's leadership PAC raised $3.1M — more than individual donors contributed directly. Top individual donor: Ergen, Charles from CO ($17K).
Industry PACs
$1.6MWhich sectors fund this member
Leadership PACs
$3.1MHow much power this member brokers
Bridging The Gap
Raised: $15KSpent: $10K
Nebraska Sandhills Pac
Raised: $369KSpent: $351K
Bridging The Gap
Raised: $24KSpent: $30K
Nebraska Sandhills Pac
Raised: $850KSpent: $858K
Bridging The Gap
Raised: $35KSpent: $30K
Top Individual Donors
$2.8MNamed people writing checks
Ergen, Charles↗$17K
CO · Dish Network · 3xIL · Marquis Management · 4x
IL · Marquis Management · 4x
Marquis, Thomas↗$16K
IL · Marquis Management · 4xMarquis, Dustin↗$16K
IL · Marquis Management · 4xIL · Marquis Management · 4x
Fischer
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Armed Services
Votes Cast by Policy Area
Economics and Public Finance
207
International Affairs
83
Armed Forces and National Security
68
Health
35
Transportation and Public Works
35
Taxation
29
The Revolving Door
Steven Selde — legislativecounsel → Association For Accessible Medicines; Ambulatory Surgery Center Association; Ambulatory Surgery Center Association↗(14 filings)
Deep Dive
How we built this & what it doesn't prove
- • Donor data from FEC filings (9.47M individual contributions)
- • Voting records from Congress.gov roll call data
- • Lobbying data from Senate LDA filings
- • Staff employment from House disbursement records
Correlation between donations and votes does not prove causation. Members may vote in alignment with donors because they share genuine policy beliefs, not because of financial influence. We present the connections — you decide what they mean.