DOI: 10.3886/icpsr09314.v1
title: Campaign Expenditures in the United States, 1987-1988: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Data
title: Version 1

description: These data are made available by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and are taken directly from campaign finance reports filed by candidates, political committees, and others required to file under the federal election laws. The files are essentially copies of the FEC's on-line computer files for the 1987-1988 election cycle. The Candidate Master File (Part 1) contains a record for each registered candidate for federal office. It includes the candidate's name, address, party affiliation, incumbent/challenger status, identification number of the principal campaign committee, office sought, and election year. The Committee Master File (Part 2) contains a record for each registered committee for federal office. Information provided includes the committee's identification number, name, address, treasurer's name, committee designation and type, party affiliation, report filing frequency, special interest group category and connected organization's name, and multicandidate committee status. The Detailed Report File (Part 3) contains one record for each separate reporting period for each FEC committee and, as such, is the source for longitudinal information about committee financial activity during the 1987-1988 election cycle. Information presented in the file includes the political committee identification number, the report year and type, the time period covered by the report, total receipts and disbursements, beginning and end cash balances, debts owed by and to the committee, individual, political, and candidate contributions, transfers from affiliated committees, loans received and payments made, and refunds. The Itemized PAC Contribution File (Part 4) contains one record for each type of contributor for each reporting period. Information included in this file covers the type and year of the report, the time period covered by the report, total contributions, net contributions, total contribution refunds, net operating expenditures, cash on hand, debts and obligations owed by the committee, debts and obligations owed to the committee, contributions from individuals and loans made, or guaranteed by the candidate.
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS0: Study-Level Files 
 DS1: Candidate Master Data 
 DS2: Committee Master Data 
 DS3: Detailed Report Data 
 DS4: Itemized PAC Contribution File
description: Campaign Expenditures in the United States Series
description: The records in Parts 3 and 4 are derived from original filings and incorporate changes from amendments to reports received by the FEC prior to December 1989. The Candidate and Committee Master Files (Parts 1 and 2) are FEC reference files, and are needed to find the name of each committee or candidate associated with the identification numbers that appear in Part 3.
description: (1) All candidates for federal office registered with the FEC under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). (2) All political committees, unauthorized delegate filers, independent expenditure filers, and communications cost filers registered. (3) All transactions and reports occurring during the 1987-1988 election cycle.