Maxine Waters
Democrat
· CA-43 · 119th Congress
House Committee on Financial Services (Chair) · House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
Influence Score
45.2
Least exposed
↑ +1.0
vs 118th (44.2)
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This score measures financial influence across twelve categories. Each bar shows how this member compares to all others in Congress. Longer bars mean more exposure.
Score breakdown — twelve categories
Contributionsmoney from PACs (political action committees) and individual donors
3.7
/ 12
Outside spendingmoney spent by groups to help elect them
0.1
/ 6
Spent to help elect them
$1,605
Outside groups that spent to help elect this member — this drives the outside-spending bar above
Spent to defeat this member
$2,000
Outside groups that spent to defeat this member (not counted in this score)
Lobbyinghow hard lobbyists push the committees this member sits on
3.7
/ 10
Vote alignmenthow often they vote the way their donors want
7.7
/ 12
Contribution timingmoney arriving near key votes
1.2
/ 6
Stock tradesbuying stocks in industries they regulate
0.0
/ 1
Dark moneyfunding from groups that hide their donors
< 0.1
/ 2
Outbound money distributionmoney this member sends out to the party and to colleagues
12.1
/ 16
Cluster network breadthhow many coordinated funding networks back this member
3.2
/ 10
Committee jurisdiction powerthe legislative reach of the committees this member sits on
3.0
/ 10
Foreign interestforeign-interest money — Israel-policy PACs and FARA-registered institutional lobbying allocated by committee jurisdiction
< 0.1
/ 12
FARA institutional lobbying
This member’s committees are targeted by $11.59M in lobbying from FARA-registered firms representing Japan, China, South Korea. This exposure is weighted at 0.2% of face value in the score — $23K.
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Score across four congresses
Score and tier for each Congress. Members are ranked against others in the same Congress, so tiers are comparable across rows. Raw scores reflect different data availability per Congress.
| Congress | Score | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 116th · 2019-2021 | 57.2 | Moderately exposed |
| 117th · 2021-2023 | 46.6 | Least exposed |
| 118th · 2023-2025 | 44.2 | Least exposed |
| 119th · 2025-2027 | 45.2 | Least exposed |
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Biggest funding source
The single network behind the most money and influence
Network
AMERICAN PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURANCE ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (INSURING AMERICA PAC)
Total money from this network
$52,000
Number of funding networks contributing
1
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Where most of the money comes from
What share of their combined contributions and outside spending comes from a single network. Party committees are excluded.
Network
SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY AMERICA
Share from this one network
2.3%
Amount from this network
$31,500
Total from all networks
$1,374,364
Networks contributing
187
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Who funds Waters
Every funding network we can measure, ranked by influence
$655,635
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Does the money match their power?
Whether their money comes from the industries their committees actually oversee
Money from industries they regulate
3.4%
Extra weight when money matches their committees
2.00×
Share of outside spending tied to their policy areas
78.9%
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Money timed to key votes
Donations arriving near key votes in the policy areas this member regulates
Times money arrived near a vote
3
Money that arrived near votes
$7K
Distinct donors
3
Distinct employers
3
Share of their total fundraising
1.00%
Biggest clusters of timed money
FHL BANK SAN FRANCISCO
$3K
CHIME FINANCIAL
$2K
WELLS FARGO
$1K
FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK SAN FRANCISCO
$700
WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK
$500
FISHER INVESTMENTS
$250
ONEUNITED BANK
$100
ONEUNITED BANK
$100
ONEUNITED BANK
$100
ONEUNITED BANK
$100
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Top Donors
Biggest sources of contributions, grouped by employer, this cycle
APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
$25K
MARVIN ENGINEERING
$16K
FULCRUM PUBLIC AFFAIRS
$13K
INVARIANT
$12K
ALLEN MEDIA
$12K
SOUTH BAY AUTO ACTION
$10K
GUSTAR KAPLAN NUSBAUM PLLC
$10K
SEVILLE CLASSICS
$10K
INVARIANT
$10K
TRUE SOUTHERN REAL ESTATE
$9K
ARIEL INVESTMENTS
$7K
YUCAIPA COMPANIES
$7K
SLA WORLDWIDE
$7K
MINDSET
$7K
7-11 FOOD STORES
$7K
BEN CRUMP LAW
$7K
EGAN-JONES RATINGS
$7K
INTCO MEDICAL INDUSTRIES
$7K
PRAMETHEUM
$7K
RICELAND HEALTHCARE
$6K
Where the outside money comes from
How much of the outside spending for and against Maxine Waters comes from groups that disclose their donors versus groups that hide them
Total outside spending received
$10K
Disclosed outside spending
$9K
Dark-money outside spending
$8
Share that is dark money
0.08%
Dark money tied to their policy areas
$0
Groups hiding their donors
1
By funding network
FUTURE45
$899K
STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER PAC
$237K
VIGOP (VIRGIN ISLANDS REPUBLICAN PARTY)
$206K
PARTY_C00300731
$63K
ELBERT GUILLORY'S AMERICA
$20K
THE DEMOCRATIC ACTION PAC
$13K
GREAT AMERICA PAC
$10K
COURAGE CALIFORNIA SUPER PAC
$2K
TOGETHER WE THRIVE
$750
PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCACY PROJECT LOS ANGELES COUNTY ACTION FUND
$611
DEMOCRACY PAC
$195
NEA ADVOCACY FUND
$67
SIERRA CLUB INDEPENDENT ACTION
$50
DIGNITY CA SEIU LOCAL 2015
$7
Groups that hide their donors
1 smaller group under $500
$8
Likely donors behind the dark money supporting this member
Inferred
Donors who fund the disclosed PACs in the same network as the hidden groups above. "Coverage" is how many of that network's disclosed groups a donor funds — the more they fund, the more likely they also back the hidden group.
NEVADANS FOR STEVEN HORSFORD
$80K
TITUS FOR CONGRESS
$80K
SUSIE LEE FOR CONGRESS
$79K
GEORGE SOROS
$525.74M
SMP
$81.00M
BLACKPAC
$47.25M
AB PAC
$25.50M
HMP
$15.00M
HOUSE MAJORITY PAC
$15.00M
CARE IN ACTION PAC
$6.60M
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Pro-Israel network donors
This counts contributions to this member from individuals whose FEC filings also show contributions to one of the 16 pro-Israel political action committees tracked by the Index. It is a measure of donor overlap — not a claim about why any individual gave, and not part of the influence score.
3 individuals who also gave to pro-Israel PACs contributed $7K to Maxine Waters across 3 contributions.
Total from shared contributors
$7K
Shared contributors
3
Contributions
3
By cycle
| Cycle | Shared donors | Gifts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | $1K |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 | $6K |
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Revolving Door
4 former staff members
who worked for Maxine Waters or the committees they serve are now registered lobbyists.
| Lobbyist | Former position | Firm | Clients | Filings | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DANA THOMPSON | Legislative Director / Chief Counsel, Rep. Maxine Waters (D- CA-43) // Legislati… | FULCRUM PUBLIC AFFAIRS LLC | 38 | 323 | 2023–2025 |
| ANDRES BASCUMBE | Rep. Maxine Waters; House Committee on Financial Services; Rep. Gerald Connolly;… | BLOCK INC. | 1 | 8 | 2023–2025 |
| DANA THOMPSON | Legislative Director / Chief Counsel, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) // Legislativ… | NETAPP, INC | 1 | 2 | 2024–2024 |
| PATRICK FERGUSSON | Senior Counsel, House Financial Services Committee; Legislative Director, Rep. M… | PATHWARD, N.A. | 1 | 2 | 2025–2025 |
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Maxine Waters ranks among the least exposed members of this Congress relative to their colleagues. Money may flow, but the votes do not track the top funding networks. Least exposed is a relative position, not a finding of no exposure.
Data: FEC (Federal Election Commission) filings · 118th–119th Congress · lobbying disclosures · VoteView recorded votes
All findings derived programmatically from public records · No prior knowledge required
All findings derived programmatically from public records · No prior knowledge required