# FEC Data Scraper (`crawlergang/fec-data-scraper`) Actor

Scrape FEC campaign finance data - search candidates, committees, filings, and fundraising totals from the Federal Election Commission public API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlergang/fec-data-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Gang](https://apify.com/crawlergang) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 11 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## FEC Data Scraper

Extract campaign finance data from the [Federal Election Commission (FEC)](https://www.fec.gov/) public API. Search candidates, political committees, campaign filings, and fundraising totals across all US federal elections.

### Features

- Search FEC candidates by name, office, party, state, and election year
- Search political committees and PACs
- Retrieve campaign finance filings (F3P, F3X, etc.)
- Get fundraising totals: total receipts, disbursements, and cash on hand
- Covers presidential, senate, and house races from 1996 onwards
- Uses FEC public API (free `DEMO_KEY` by default; bring your own for higher limits)

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `mode` | String | One of: `searchCandidates`, `searchCommittees`, `searchFilings`, `searchTotals` |
| `searchQuery` | String | Name or keyword to search (e.g. "Biden", "Trump") |
| `office` | String | Office filter: Any, President (P), Senate (S), House (H) |
| `party` | String | Party: DEM, REP, IND, LIB, GRE |
| `electionYear` | Integer | Election cycle year (e.g. 2024) |
| `state` | String | Two-letter US state code (e.g. "NY", "CA") |
| `apiKey` | String | FEC API key from [api.data.gov](https://api.data.gov/signup/) (optional; default: DEMO\_KEY) |
| `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 5,000) |

#### Example Inputs

**Search presidential candidates:**

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCandidates",
  "searchQuery": "Biden",
  "office": "P",
  "electionYear": 2024,
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

**Search committees:**

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCommittees",
  "searchQuery": "progressive",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

**Search fundraising totals:**

```json
{
  "mode": "searchTotals",
  "searchQuery": "Trump",
  "office": "P",
  "electionYear": 2024,
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

### Output

#### Candidate Records (`recordType: "candidate"`)

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `candidateId` | String | FEC candidate ID (e.g. P80001571) |
| `candidateName` | String | Full name of the candidate |
| `office` | String | Office sought: P, S, or H |
| `party` | String | Party abbreviation |
| `state` | String | State of the race |
| `district` | String | House district (if applicable) |
| `electionYears` | Array | Election years the candidate has run |
| `incumbentStatus` | String | Challenger, Incumbent, or Open seat |
| `cycles` | Array | Election cycles |
| `sourceUrl` | String | FEC profile URL |

#### Committee Records (`recordType: "committee"`)

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `committeeId` | String | FEC committee ID |
| `committeeName` | String | Committee name |
| `committeeType` | String | Committee type code |
| `committeeTypeFull` | String | Full committee type description |
| `organizationType` | String | Organization type |
| `party` | String | Party affiliation |
| `state` | String | State of registration |
| `treasurerName` | String | Committee treasurer name |
| `firstFileDate` | String | Date of first filing |
| `lastFileDate` | String | Date of most recent filing |
| `cycles` | Array | Active election cycles |
| `sourceUrl` | String | FEC committee profile URL |

#### Filing Records (`recordType: "filing"`)

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `filingId` | Integer | FEC filing ID |
| `formType` | String | Form type (e.g. F3P, F3X) |
| `filerName` | String | Name of the filing entity |
| `receiptDate` | String | Date the FEC received the filing |
| `coverageStartDate` | String | Coverage period start |
| `coverageEndDate` | String | Coverage period end |
| `totalReceipts` | Float | Total receipts for the period |
| `totalDisbursements` | Float | Total disbursements |
| `totalLoans` | Float | Total loans received |
| `netContributions` | Float | Net contributions |
| `sourceUrl` | String | FEC filing detail URL |

#### Totals Records (`recordType: "total"`)

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `candidateId` | String | FEC candidate ID |
| `candidateName` | String | Candidate name |
| `office` | String | Office (P/S/H) |
| `party` | String | Party abbreviation |
| `state` | String | State |
| `electionYear` | Integer | Election year |
| `cycle` | Integer | Election cycle |
| `totalReceipts` | Float | Total money raised |
| `totalDisbursements` | Float | Total money spent |
| `cashOnHandEnd` | Float | Cash on hand at period end |
| `coverageStartDate` | String | Coverage start date |
| `coverageEndDate` | String | Coverage end date |
| `sourceUrl` | String | FEC candidate profile URL |

#### Example Output Record

```json
{
  "candidateId": "P80001571",
  "candidateName": "BIDEN, JOSEPH R JR",
  "office": "P",
  "party": "DEM",
  "state": "US",
  "electionYears": [2020, 2024],
  "incumbentStatus": "Incumbent",
  "cycles": [2020, 2022, 2024],
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/P80001571/",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T12:00:00+00:00",
  "recordType": "candidate"
}
```

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Do I need an API key?**
No. The scraper uses the free `DEMO_KEY` by default, which allows 30 requests/minute and 50 requests/day. For unlimited access, register at [api.data.gov](https://api.data.gov/signup/).

**How far back does the data go?**
FEC data covers elections from 1996 onwards. Use the `electionYear` filter to narrow results.

**What is the difference between Filings and Totals?**
Filings are individual campaign finance report submissions. Totals aggregate receipts and disbursements across a candidate's full election cycle.

**Can I search for PACs and Super PACs?**
Yes, use `searchCommittees` mode. PACs appear as committee type "N" (non-party non-qualified), Super PACs as type "O" (independent expenditure-only).

**Why am I getting rate limit errors?**
The default DEMO\_KEY has strict limits. Register a free personal key at [api.data.gov](https://api.data.gov/signup/) and pass it via `apiKey`.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What type of FEC data to fetch.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Name or keyword to search (e.g. 'Trump', 'progressive', 'Democratic'). Leave empty to use filters only.

## `office` (type: `string`):

Filter by office sought (candidates and totals modes).

## `party` (type: `string`):

Filter by political party affiliation.

## `electionYear` (type: `integer`):

Filter by election cycle year (e.g. 2024).

## `state` (type: `string`):

Filter by US state (two-letter code).

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Optional FEC API key from api.data.gov for higher rate limits. Defaults to DEMO\_KEY (30 req/min, 50 req/day).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of records to return.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "searchCandidates",
  "searchQuery": "Trump",
  "office": "",
  "party": "",
  "state": "",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `records` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped FEC records.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "searchCandidates",
    "searchQuery": "Trump",
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlergang/fec-data-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "searchCandidates",
    "searchQuery": "Trump",
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlergang/fec-data-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "searchCandidates",
  "searchQuery": "Trump",
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlergang/fec-data-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlergang/fec-data-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cc6f9dWIMP3tuF0Vr/builds/VkglXgvjwh8ABS2wE/openapi.json