Spotlight Delaware has launched the Delaware Campaign Finance Explorer, a free, easy-to-use tool for the public to see who is funding candidates running for state and county offices this year.
Our independent, nonprofit newsroom was founded with a mission to advance transparency in government and political campaigns, and with outside spending reaching unforeseen levels for a midterm election, we are giving the public easier insights to those efforts than ever before.
The Explorer tool was built using publicly available campaign finance filings from 2025 and 2026, but utilizes a user-friendly interface that allows viewers to see how candidates compare in an individual race and what third-party support may be influencing public perception of campaigns.
The information is sortable by candidates, donors and races and displays how much support a candidate has garnered from Delawareans versus those from other states, as well as support from third-party organizations that cannot legally coordinate with their campaign but certainly amplify messaging that nonetheless aids their run.
“With outside spending already eclipsing $2.7 million on races that have historically garnered less attention that the governorship or Congressional positions, the need for transparency is greater than ever,” said Jacob Owens, the editor in chief of Spotlight Delaware. “We’re proud to make campaign finance information easier to understand than ever before in Delaware.”
Information in the Campaign Finance Explorer is update to date through the last filings legally required before the Sept. 15 primary election — which is just days away. It will continue to be updated through two more reporting periods through the Nov. 3 general election.
The tool, along with race and district locator maps released last month, was custom-built using ChatGPT 5.6 as part of Spotlight Delaware’s participation in the American Journalism Project, Blue Engine and Google News Initiative’s AI News Sustainability cohort program.