What Happened?

TD PAC, a Chicago-based super PAC, has reported $675,000 in outside spending to support Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida's U.S. Senate special election against incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody. ​

According to a Legis1 review of FEC filings, the committee paid the entire $675,000 to a single vendor, Technicolor Political, in two equal payments of $337,500 each on Oct. 20, two weeks before the Nov. 3 special election.

That Florida spending accounts for approximately 99.8 percent of TD PAC's $676,279 in total reported outside spending across the 2024 and 2026 election cycles, leaving roughly $1,279 spent on anything else.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

TD PAC's $675,000 commitment is the largest single pro-Nixon outside expenditure in the race, yet it is roughly 15 times smaller than the $10.13 million that Stronger Safer Nation has spent opposing Nixon. That gap means the outside money working against Nixon dwarfs the outside money working for her.

Other major outside spenders in the race include New Deal for All, Inc., which has spent $6.49 million opposing Moody, and AB PAC, which has spent $2.52 million supporting Nixon.

The race has been rated Likely Republican. That rating reflects the structural advantage Moody holds heading into election day, even as outside groups pour money in on both sides.

Both Sides, Now

The Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education (SEIU COPE), a labor union PAC, contributed $725,000 to TD PAC, and individual donor Barbara Stiefel contributed $50,000.

Those two contributors account for all receipts on file, meaning TD PAC's spending in Florida is almost entirely backed by union money. SEIU COPE's $725,000 contribution exceeds TD PAC's total reported outside spending of $676,278.52 by approximately $48,721.

Supporters of outside spending argue it is a form of political speech protected under federal law, and that FEC disclosure rules let voters see who is behind the ads. OpenSecrets reported that outside spending on the 2024 elections reached a record $4.5 billion, with more than half coming from groups that do not disclose their donors, raising concerns about voter transparency. Critics point to that concentration of undisclosed money as a reason to tighten disclosure requirements beyond what current law demands.

Congress has not passed new campaign-finance legislation to change these disclosure rules, so the current FEC framework governs what TD PAC and similar committees must report.

What Happens Next?

Florida voters decide the Senate special election on Nov. 3. The result will determine whether Moody holds the seat or Nixon flips it for Democrats.

After the election, outside spending committees are required to file updated disclosure reports with the FEC, which will show any additional spending made in the race's final days.

Those filings will reveal whether TD PAC made any further payments to Technicolor Political beyond the $675,000 already on record.

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