In North Carolina politics, state-level candidates and PACs spent $22.5 million between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021. More than $2.7 million or 12.0 percent of all campaign finance expenditures went to the 10 payees at the top of the list.
A payee is an entity or individual who has received money from a campaign account. Candidates and PACs must report campaign expenditures, including payments to vendors, donations to other campaign accounts, and bank transfers, to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Top 10 North Carolina payees (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
Here are the top 10 recipients of North Carolina campaign money in the 2022 election cycle, as of the most recent reports.
| Rank | Payee Name | Total Received |
| 1. | Nexus Strategies Inc | $562,903.73 |
| 2. | North Carolina Republican House Caucus | $320,990.95 |
| 3. | Conservative Connections | $246,075.00 |
| 4. | ADP as Depository for Payroll Taxes | $240,385.45 |
| 5. | Sinclair Public Affairs LLC | $236,388.05 |
| 6. | Whillier Group Inc | $234,323.03 |
| 7. | Stewart Group Inc | $232,185.50 |
| 8. | Baker Hostetler | $215,000.00 |
| 9. | Ngp Van Inc | $211,196.21 |
| 10. | Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party | $205,000.00 |
Total Expenditures in nine states during the 2022 election cycle
Campaign finance expenditures vary widely among state-level candidates and PACs. A number of factors, including state-specific campaign finance regulations, influence how expenditure activity varies across states. Here is how total campaign finance expenditures in North Carolina compared to eight other states with data available from Transparency USA for the 2022 election cycle:
Comparison of total expenditures, by state
| Rank | State | Total Expenditures | Reporting Period |
| 1 | Texas | $337,432,351 | 1/1/2022 – 2/19/2022 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $319,374,389 | 1/1/2022 – 3/9/2022 |
| 3 | Florida | $302,254,134 | 1/1/2022 – 2/28/2022 |
| 4 | Michigan | $71,971,787 | 1/1/2022 – 4/20/2022 |
| 5 | Arizona | 63,716,617 | 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022 |
| 6 | Ohio | $59,240,397 | 1/1/2022 – 4/13/2022 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $34,706,022 | 1/1/2022 – 3/21/2022 |
| 8 | Indiana | $32,159,398 | 1/1/2022 – 4/8/2022 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $22,543,037 | 1/1/2022 – 12/31/2021 |
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active North Carolina PACs submitted to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Semiannual | 1/28/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 Plus | 5/10/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 7/29/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 Plus | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 1/11/2023 |
| 2022 Year End Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 1/27/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.