DOI: 10.3886/icpsr09775.v1
title: Campaign Expenditures in the United States, 1989-1990: 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 1989-1990 election cycle. The Candidate Master Data 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 Data 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 Itemized Individual Contribution File (Part 3) contains a record for each candidate and his or her committee, other political committees, and persons making independent expenditures. Itemized receipt and disbursement information presented in the file includes the filer identification number, amendment and primary-general indicators, report and transaction types, address, occupation, transaction date, and transaction amount. 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 and to the committee, contributions from individuals, and loans made or guaranteed by the candidate. The Detailed Report File (Part 5) 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 1989-1990 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 ending 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.
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS0: Study-Level Files 
 DS1: Candidate Master Data 
 DS2: Committee Master Data 
 DS3: Itemized Individual Contribution File 
 DS4: Itemized PAC Contribution File 
 DS5: Detailed Report File
description: Campaign Expenditures in the United States Series
description: The Candidate and Committee Master Data 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 5 (Detailed Report Data).
description: Part 1: All candidates for federal office registered with the FEC under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Parts 2 and 4: All political committees, unauthorized delegate filers, independent expenditure filers, and communications cost filers registered. Part 3: All candidates and their committees, other political committees, and persons making independent expenditures. Part 5: All transactions and reports occurring during the 1989-1990 election cycle.