OpenFEC API

Base URL

https://api.open.fec.gov/v1

Authentication

A free api.data.gov key is required. DEMO_KEY works for a few test calls but is globally shared and throttled to about 30 requests per hour per IP — register your own before real use.

Rate limit

1,000 requests per hour with a registered key on most endpoints. DEMO_KEY is far lower and shared.

Pricing

Free. FEC filings are public records.

CORS

Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript

Official docs

Read the docs

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-21, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

curl 'https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidates/?api_key=DEMO_KEY&per_page=1'

const res = await fetch("https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidates/?api_key=DEMO_KEY&per_page=1");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidates/?api_key=DEMO_KEY&per_page=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

{
  "api_version": "1.0",
  "pagination": {
    "count": 54400,
    "is_count_exact": true,
    "page": 1,
    "pages": 54400,
    "per_page": 1
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "active_through": 2024,
      "candidate_id": "P40014052",
      "candidate_inactive": false,
      "candidate_status": "N",
      "cycles": [
        2024,
        2026
      ],
      "district": "00",
      "district_number": 0,
      "election_districts": [
        "00"
      ],
      "election_years": [
        2024
      ],
      "federal_funds_flag": false,
      "first_file_date": "2023-06-24",
      "has_raised_funds": false,
      "inactive_election_years": null,
      "incumbent_challenge": "C",
      "incumbent_challenge_full": "Challenger",
      "last_f2_date": "2023-06-24",
      "last_file_date": "2023-06-24",
      "load_date": "2023-07-10T21:05:09",
      "name": "212 N HALF  W. JOHN, RODNEY HOWARD MR.",
      "office": "P",
      "office_full": "President",
      "party": "IND",
      "party_full": "INDEPENDENT",
      "state": "US"
    }
  ]
}

api_versionstring

API contract version, currently `1.0`.

paginationobject

`count`, `page`, `pages` and `per_page`, with `is_count_exact` flagging when the total is an estimate.

resultsarray

The candidate records.

results[].candidate_idstring

FEC identifier. The first character encodes the office — `P`, `S` or `H`.

results[].namestring

Name exactly as filed, including any oddities the filer submitted. Not normalised.

results[].office / office_fullstring

Office code and its expanded name.

results[].party / party_fullstring

Party code and full name; `IND` for independents.

results[].cycles / election_yearsarray

Election cycles the candidate is associated with. The same person recurs across cycles with different totals.

results[].active_throughinteger

Last cycle the candidacy was active.

results[].incumbent_challenge / incumbent_challenge_fullstring

`I` incumbent, `C` challenger, `O` open seat.

results[].has_raised_fundsboolean

Whether any receipts have been filed — useful for excluding paper candidacies.

• Analyse campaign contributions to a candidate or committee
• Track spending across an election cycle
• Build a donor lookup tool from itemised filings
• Compare fundraising between challengers and incumbents
• Monitor new FEC filings as they are processed