NIH staff contributions overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates, analysis shows
A review of Federal Election Commission data finds that nearly all political donations from National Institutes of Health employees went to Democratic candidates or aligned committees.
Analyzing Federal Election Commission filings, the College Fix identified roughly 5,500 donations totaling around $320,000 from National Institutes of Health employees over two election cycles ending in mid-2026. During the 2023-24 cycle, 96% of the contributions were directed to Democratic candidates or Democratic-aligned political action committees, compared with just 3.5% for Republican recipients. In the ongoing midterm cycle, the Democratic share climbed to 99%, while Republican donations fell below 0.3%.
About half a percent of the money went to organizations that lack a clear partisan orientation. The analysis classifies a PAC as Democratic or Republican when over 75% of its contributions favor one party. These figures illustrate a pronounced partisan tilt among NIH staff donors.
