Direct answer
A FEC committee watchlist lists every federal committee that matters in your race. Build it with opponent principal committees, leadership PACs, party committees, and major outside spenders — then scope filing alerts, cash comparisons, and donor maps to that list.
What to include
- Principal campaign committee — each opponent candidate (F3/F3P)
- Leadership & hybrid PACs — aligned spenders with regular reports
- Party committees — relevant Senate/House campaign arms when active in the race
- Your own committees — for apples-to-apples scoreboard context
Track outside IE spenders via candidate-level IE tracking — IE committees are a different workflow than principal committees.
Watchlist → alerts → desk
- Add committee IDs in Settings → Watchlists
- Sync donor map data for Schedule A geography
- Enable email and Slack filing alerts
- Review Command: ledger, scoreboard, map, IE panel
Full workflow: how to track opponent fundraising.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a FEC committee watchlist?
- A FEC committee watchlist is the set of federal committees you monitor in a race — opponent candidate committees, allied committees, leadership PACs, party committees, and relevant outside groups. Alerts and dashboards scope to this list.
- How do I find FEC committee IDs?
- Search candidates and committees on FEC.gov or use Pachand's watchlist search. Each committee has a unique ID (e.g. C00XXXXX) used in filings and alerts.
- How many committees should I watch?
- Competitive House races often track 4–12 committees; Senate and presidential races track more. Pachand plan limits apply — prioritize opponent principal committees, major IE spenders, and allied party organs.
Not affiliated with the Federal Election Commission.