Funding profile
Christopher H. Smith
Republican · Representative for New Jersey’s 4th district
Career totals · 24 elections · 1980–2026
$14.5 million
raised by Smith’s campaigns, everything from 1980 to 2026 added together.
32%
of it came from organized groups rather than from people giving on their own: at least $4.6 million from PACs, plus donations that organizations collected and directed.
$407,000
was spent about Smith by outside groups. These are ads for or against them that their campaign cannot control, and none of it is part of the money above.
Every number on this page comes from Federal Election Commission filings, read on August 24, 2026. An election still under way keeps raising money, so its figure will have grown since. Check Smith on FEC.gov
Where the money came from
Everything Smith’s campaigns have reported raising, split by who gave it.
- Individual donorsMoney given by people, in their own name.60%$8.7 million
- Political action committeesOrganized groups: company-run committees, unions, trade associations.31%$4.5 million
- Other sourcesParty transfers, the candidate's own money, loans and smaller categories.8%$1.2 million
Money bundled through organizations
Not every “individual” donation arrives on its own. An organization can collect checks from its members, already earmarked for Smith, and deliver them in a bundle. The law counts that as individual money, but the organization still chose where it went.
$84,000
reached Smith this way, 1% of everything they raised from individuals. Each donation came from a real person. The organization picked who got it.
- NORPACA New Jersey-based pro-Israel PAC that bundles member donations for candidates of both parties.$58,000
- AIPACThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee's political arm. It backs candidates of both parties it considers strong supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship.$26,000
We can only count the organizations we have measured, so the real figure could be higher than this, never lower. Bundling is legal and widely used, and appearing here is not evidence of wrongdoing.
Who gave the most
Committee contributions from the 2024 and 2026 election periods, grouped by how the FEC classifies each giver. This covers a slice of the career total, and giving to a campaign is legal and ordinary.
- Corporation9%$48,000
- Trade association14%$72,000
- Labor union45%$240,000
- Membership organization11%$61,000
- Unclassified21%$109,000
Which industries
- Real estate & construction100% · $14,000
The FEC records that a committee is a corporation; it does not record its industry. Those labels are ours, kept in a published list anyone can check. Where we have not labeled a giver we say “Other” rather than guessing.
Largest committee givers
- 1International Union of Operating Engineers Local 965 Pef$20,000
- 2Susan B. Anthony List, Inc. (Dba Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America)The candidate fund of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which backs candidates who oppose abortion.$20,000
- 3NorpacA New Jersey-based pro-Israel PAC that bundles member donations for candidates of both parties.$15,000
- 4American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action CommitteeThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee's political arm. It backs candidates of both parties it considers strong supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship.$15,000
- 5National Association of Realtors$15,000
Show all 10 giversShow fewer
- 6Allied Pilots Association Political Action Committee$15,000
- 7Air Line Pilots Association$15,000
- 8United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America$15,000
- 9International Brotherhood of Teamsters$15,000
- 10Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors' National Assoc., Inc. Political Action Committee$14,000
“Unclassified” means the FEC records no organization type for that committee, which usually means a leadership PAC. We show it as unclassified rather than guessing which industry it belongs to.
Money spent about this member
Outside groups, usually super PACs, may spend without limit on ads for or against a candidate, as long as they do not coordinate with the campaign. Smith has no legal control over any of it.
This is not a donation. Nobody gave this money to Smith. It was spent on advertising about Smith, and money spent against a candidate is plainly not funding them. So it never gets added to the figures above.
$407,000
has been spent for or against Smith by outside groups. $389,000 supported Smith; $18,000 opposed Smith.
Largest outside spenders
Summed across 8 elections, using the Commission's aggregated totals so amended filings and 24-hour notices are not double-counted.
Spent supporting
$360,000Ads urging people to vote for this member. Still not their money, and they cannot direct how it is spent.
- AUTISM HEAR US NOW PAC$242,000
- AUTISM HEAR US NOW PAC INC$37,000
- HUMANE SOCIETY LEGISLATIVE FUND$27,000
- NEW JERSEY RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE FEDERAL PAC$18,000
Show all 7 groupsShow fewer
- NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE VICTORY FUND$15,000
- SUPPORT OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS PAC$12,000
- AUTISM HEAR US NOW LLC$10,000
Spent opposing
$16,000Ads urging people to vote against this member. This money was spent to defeat them.
- DRAIN THE DC SWAMP PAC$16,000
Election by election
The career figures above are the sum of these elections. Each row links to the Commission’s page for that election, where the numbers match line for line.
| Election | Raised | From PACs | Outside spending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026in progress | $592,000 | $214,000 36% | none | FEC |
| 2024 | $839,000 | $300,000 36% | $130,000 | FEC |
| 2022 | $1.5 million | $441,000 30% | $157,000 | FEC |
| 2020 | $1.4 million | $430,000 31% | $38,000 | FEC |
| 2018 | $1.3 million | $405,000 31% | $46,000 | FEC |
| 2016 | $729,000 | $266,000 37% | $9,512 | FEC |
| 2014 | $486,000 | $177,000 36% | $1,351 | FEC |
| 2012 | $658,000 | $204,000 31% | $7,707 | FEC |
| 2010 | $748,000 | $240,000 32% | $17,000 | FEC |
| 2008 | $929,000 | $229,000 25% | none | FEC |
| 2006 | $482,000 | $187,000 39% | none | FEC |
| 2004 | $629,000 | $231,000 37% | none | FEC |
| 2002 | $581,000 | $241,000 41% | none | FEC |
| 2000 | $506,000 | $157,000 31% | none | FEC |
| 1998 | $429,000 | $173,000 40% | none | FEC |
| 1996 | $329,000 | $107,000 32% | none | FEC |
| 1994 | $310,000 | $100,000 32% | none | FEC |
| 1992 | $370,000 | $111,000 30% | none | FEC |
| 1990 | $281,000 | $113,000 40% | none | FEC |
| 1988 | $330,000 | $125,000 38% | none | FEC |
| 1986 | $325,000 | $99,000 30% | none | FEC |
| 1984 | $308,000 | $0 0% | none | FEC |
| 1982 | $320,000 | $0 0% | none | FEC |
| 1980 | $79,000 | $0 0% | none | FEC |
Raised is everything the campaign took in for that election. From PACs is the slice of it given by political action committees. Outside spending is what other groups spent on ads about the race, for and against—it is not part of “Raised”. An election marked in progress is still raising money, so its figures are not final.
We never publish the names of individual donors, and anything we cannot source stays off the page. The methodology explains every such choice.