As we
continue to explore the results of last year’s election, it’s finally time to
examine my personal political donations, with the assistance of several
colorful tables and graphs.
In 2024, I
donated $455 to political candidates campaigning for Congress and the Kansas
Legislature.
I previously
discussed my political donations for elections in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
This article
is part of an ongoing series that explores the results of last
year’s election.
I have covered
the results of elections for the US Senate, US House, and the Kansas Legislature.
I also graded the accuracy of predictions for the US Senate elections.
Last year, I
encouraged readers to donate to Democrats
running for the Kansas Legislature.
My most
recent article examined the performance of the
candidates who received those donations.
This
article, by contrast, explores the performance of candidates I personally
donated to last year.
Overview
I
financially supported 16 candidates in 2024.
Only two of
those candidates, Dan Osman and Derek Tran, won their elections.
The other 14
candidates lost.
This table
lists my donations from largest to smallest, with the candidates I gave the
most to, listed first.
I will
discuss each of these elections later in this article.
For the most
part, discussions of these elections, in this article, will generally follow
the order of the candidates as they appear in this table.
The table is
color-coded.
In the
“Office Sought” column, congressional candidates are highlighted in purple.
Candidates for the Kansas Senate are highlighted in green.
In the “2024 Margin” column, races won by
Democrats are highlighted in blue, and races won by Republicans are highlighted
in pink.
Mathew
Reinhold lost a Democratic primary, so his “2024 Margin” displays the margin of
his loss in the primary.
I created the tables and graphs in this article in Excel.
This table
displays my donations based on the margin of victory, with the closest races
listed first.
The
color-coding conventions are the same as they were in the first table.
By and
large, my donations were wisely spent on candidates whose races were decided by
narrow margins.
22% of my
donations went to races where the margin was decided by less than 3%.
44% of my
donations went to races where the margin was decided by less than 5%.
74% of my
donations went to races where the margin was decided by less than 7%.
Kansas Senate
I donated
$90 to candidates running for the Kansas Senate.
That
accounts for 20% of my 2024 donations.
I donated to
two Democrats running for the Kansas Senate, Andrew Mall and Dena Sattler, both of whom lost their elections.
I donated
$50 to Andrew Mall.
I donated
more to Andrew Mall in 2024 than any other candidate.
Andrew Mall
(D) lost a Kansas Senate race in Dist. 10, in Johnson County, to incumbent Mike
Thompson (R) by 4.8%, or 2,176 votes.
Thompson
received 52%, and Mall received 48%.
Elections
for the Kansas Senate are held every four years.
2024 was the
first election for the Kansas Senate after redistricting, so exercise caution
when comparing the 2024 and 2020 results.
In 2020,
Mike Thompson (R) defeated Lindsey Constance (D), in Dist. 10, by 3.7%, or
1,604 votes.
Thompson
received 51.9%, and Constance received 48.1%.
I donated
$40 to Dena Sattler.
Dena Sattler
(D) lost a Kansas Senate race in Dist. 3 to incumbent Rick Kloos (R) by 14.8%,
or 5,657 votes.
Dist. 3 is
located in Osage, Douglas, Franklin, and Shawnee counties.
Kloos
received 57%, and Sattler received 43%.
Sattler’s
race didn’t end up being competitive. But prior to the election, the results
from the most recent Kansas Senate elections indicated it might be.
In 2020,
Rick Kloos (R) defeated incumbent Anthony Hensley (D), in Dist. 19, by 2.1%, or
658 votes.
That
election was the closest Kansas Senate Race in 2020.
Kloos was
redistricted into Dist. 3 for the 2024 election.
This table,
which first appeared in, “Republicans gain seats in the Kansas
Legislature,” shows
the results of the closest Kansas Senate elections in 2024.
US Senate
I donated
$45 to Dan Osborn.
Dan Osborn
ran as an independent in a two-way US Senate race in Nebraska against incumbent
Republican Deb Fischer.
Nebraska
Democrats chose not to nominate a candidate for the race.
Osborn lost
the Nebraska US Senate race to Fischer (R) by 6.7%, or 62,631 votes.
Fischer
received 53.3%, and Osborn received 46.7%.
US Senators
serve 6-year terms, so Senate seats are up for election every six years.
Even though
Osborn lost, he managed to narrow Fischer’s margin of victory considerably,
compared to her election in 2018.
In 2018, Deb
Fischer was reelected to the US Senate by 19%.
Fischer (R)
received 58%, Jane Raybould (D) received 39%, and Jim Schultz (L) received 4%.
Nebraska was
the only US Senate race, decided by less than 10%, where the margin swung away
from Republicans in 2024, compared to 2018.
The
following table first appeared in, “Republicans win Senate Control.”

Dan Osborn
is running in Nebraska for the US Senate,
again, in 2026.
Dan Osborn
was the only US Senate Candidate I supported financially last year.
Donations to
US Senate races account for 10% of my 2024 political donations.
Osborn was
the only independent candidate I supported financially last year.
The other 15
candidates I supported financially are Democrats.
Democrats
received 90% of my political donations last year, and one independent
candidate, Osborn, received the remaining 10%.
Last year, I
donated $45 to support Osborn, an independent, and $410 to support Democratic
candidates.
Kansas House
I
financially supported 10 Democrats running for the Kansas House.
Only one of
those candidates, Dan Osman, won their election.
I donated
$290 to candidates running for the Kansas House.
That
accounts for 64%, or almost two-thirds, of my 2024 political donations.
Last year, I
donated to seven of the eleven Kansas House races where the margin was decided
by less than 6%.
I donated
$30 to Dan Osman.
Incumbent
Dan Osman (D) won a Kansas House Race, in Dist. 48, in Johnson County, against
Randy Ross (R) by 5.8%, or 723 votes.
Osman
received 53%, and Ross received 47%.
The election
in Dist. 48 was the only Kansas House race decided by less than 8% where the
margin shifted toward Democrats, compared to 2022.
All of the
other 12 Kansas House races decided by less than 8% had their margin shift in
favor of Republicans, compared to 2022.
You can see
this in the table below, which first appeared in “Republicans gain seats in the Kansas
Legislature.”
I donated
$30 to Ace Allen.
Ace Allen
(D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 28, in Johnson County, to incumbent Carl
Turner (R) by 1.2%, or 155 votes.
Turner
received 50.6%, and Allen received 49.4%.
Elections
are held for the Kansas House every two years.
The Kansas
House race in Dist. 28 was a rematch between the same candidates who ran
against each other two years earlier.
In 2022,
incumbent Carl Turner (R) defeated Ace Allen (D) by 0.6%, or 60 votes.
Turner
received 50.3%, and Allen received 49.7%.
The Kansas
House race in Dist. 28, in Johnson County, was the closest Kansas House race,
in the entire state, in both 2022 and 2024.
I donated 30
to Veronica Gillette.
Veronica
Gillette (D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 88, in Sedgwick and Butler
counties, to incumbent Sandy Pickert (R) by 2.1%, or 187 votes.
Pickert
received 51.1%, and Gillette received 48.9%.
I donated
$30 to Dennis Miller.
Incumbent
Dennis Miller (D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 14, in Johnson County, to
Charlotte Esau (R) by 2.7% or 404 votes.
Esau
received 51.4%, and Miller received 48.6%.
The 2024
election in Kansas House Dist. 14, in Johnson County, was a rematch between the
same candidates who ran against each other two years earlier.
In 2022,
Dennis Miller (D) defeated incumbent Charlotte Esau (R) by 221 votes, or 2.0%.
Miller (D)
received 51.0%, and Esau (R) received 49.0%.
I donated
$30 to Vanessa Vaughn West.
Vanessa
Vaughn West (D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 39, in Johnson County, to
Angela Stiens (R) by 3.2%, or 419 votes.
Stiens
received 51.6%, and West received 48.4%.
I donated
$30 to Aimee Bateman.
Aimee
Bateman (D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 41, in Leavenworth County, to
incumbent Pat Proctor (R) by 5.1%, or 324 votes.
Proctor
received 52.6%, and Bateman received 47.4%.
I donated
$30 to Betsey Lasister.
Betsey
Lasister (D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 30, in Johnson County, to
incumbent Laura Williams (R) by 5.2%, or 607 votes.
Williams
received 52.6%, and Lasister received 47.4%.
I financially
supported two Democrats running in the Kansas House race in Dist. 33, in
Wyandotte County.
Mathew
Reinhold was the first Democrat to file to run in the election.
After he
filed, I followed Reinhold on Twitter, where I enjoyed reading his
political commentary.
I donated
$20 to Mathew Reinhold, before another Democratic candidate, Eli Woody, entered
the race.
Woody filed to
run in the election right before the filing deadline in early June.
In the Aug. 6
primary, Woody received 58%, and Reinhold received 42%.
Woody won
the Democratic primary by 16%, or 160 votes.
After the
primary, I donated $30 to Eli Woody.
Woody lost
the general election to incumbent Republican Mike Thompson, in Dist. 33, in
Wyandotte County, by 13%, or 1,235 votes.
Thompson (R)
received 57%, and Woody (D) received 43%.
The 2024
election for Kansas House Dist. 33, in Wyandotte County, wasn’t competitive,
but it had been two years earlier.
In 2022,
Mike Thompson (R) won Dist. 33, in Wyandotte County, by 367 votes, or 5.6%.
Thompson (R)
received 51%, Bill Hutton (D) received 46%, and Stephanie Barton (L) received
3%.
I donated
$30 to Bill Hammond.
Bill Hammond
(D) lost a Kansas House race, in Dist. 117, in Johnson and Douglas counties, to
incumbent Adam Turk (R) by 15%, or 2,232 votes.
Turk
received 57.5%, and Hammond received 42.5%.
The Kansas
House race in Dist. 117, in Johnson and Douglas counties, wasn’t competitive in
2024, but it had been two years earlier.
In 2022,
Adam Turk (R) won the Kansas House race in Dist. 117 by 3.9%, or 435 votes.
Turk (R)
received 52%, and Courtney Tripp (D) received 48%.
US House
I
financially supported three Democrats running for the US House.
Only one of
those candidates, Derek Tran, won their election.
Nevertheless,
all three races were decided by less than 4%.
I donated
$30 to US House races.
That
accounts for 7% of my 2024 political donations.
I donated
$10 to Derek Tran.
Derek Tran
(D) won a US House race, in California-45, in Orange and Los Angeles counties, against
incumbent Michelle Steel (R) by 0.21%, or 653 votes.
Tran
received 50.1%, and Steel received 49.9%.
Tran's race was one of the closest US House races, nationwide, in 2024, as you can see in the table below, which first appeared in "Republicans retain House control."
I donated
$10 to Amish Shah.
Amish Shah
(D) lost a US House race, in Arizona-1, in Maricopa County, against incumbent David
Schweikert (R) by 3.81%, or 16,572 votes.
Schweikert
received 51.9%, and Shah received 48.1%.
I donated
$10 to Lanon Baccam.
Lanon Baccam
(D) lost a US House race, in Iowa-3, against incumbent Zach Nunn (R) by 3.83%,
or 15,784 votes.
Nunn
received 51.9%, and Baccam received 48.1%.
Iowa-3 is
roughly located in southwest Iowa.
Donations by Office Sought
I donated
$290 to Kansas House races, $90 to Kansas Senate races, $45 to a US Senate
race, and $30 to US House races.
Almost two-thirds
of my donations went to Kansas House races.
64% of my
donations went to Kansas House races, 20% went to Kansas Senate races, 10% went
to a US Senate race, and 7% went to US House races.
Donations by Location
I donated
$380 to elections in Kansas, all of which went to candidates running for the
Kansas Legislature.
I donated
$45 to a US Senate race in Nebraska.
I donated
$10 to US House races in each of the following states: California, Arizona, and
Iowa.
84% of my
donations went to elections in Kansas, and 16% of my donations went to
elections in other states.
10% of my
donations went to an election in Nebraska.
2% of my
donations went to an election in California.
2% of my
donations went to an election in Arizona.
2% of my
donations went to an election in Iowa.
We can break
down my Kansas donations even further.
Many
competitive Kansas Legislative races are located in Johnson County.
Last year,
63.6% of Kansas House races decided by less than 6% were located in Johnson
County, and 66.7% of Kansas Senate races decided by less than 6% were located
entirely or partially in Johnson County.
Let’s break
down my 2024 Kansas donations by county.
For
legislative districts that are located in multiple counties, I split my
donations to the district evenly between those counties.
I donated
$215 to races in Johnson County, $50 to races in Wyandotte County, $30 to a
race in Leavenworth County, and $25 to races in Douglas County.
I donated
$15 each to races in Sedgwick and Butler counties.
I donated
$10 each to races in Shawnee, Franklin, and Osage counties.
57% of my
Kansas donations went to races in Johnson County, 13% went to races in
Wyandotte County, and all other counties each received less than 10%.
Now, let’s
take this county-level data and return to my donations as a whole.
I donated
$215 to races in Johnson County, $165 to races elsewhere in Kansas, and $75 to
races outside of Kansas.
47% of my
total donations went to races in Johnson County, 36% went to races elsewhere in
Kansas, and 16% went to races outside of Kansas.
Now let’s
take a look at a very silly graph.
This graph
shows my total political donations. The Kansas donations are split by county,
and the donations outside Kansas are split by state.
I donated
$215 to races in Johnson County, $50 to races in Wyandotte County, $45 to a
race in Nebraska, $30 to a race in Leavenworth County, and $25 to races in
Douglas County.
I donated
$15 each to Sedgwick and Butler counties.
I donated
$10 each to Shawnee County, Franklin County, Osage County, California, Arizona,
and Iowa.
47% of my
total donations went to Johnson County, 11% went to Wyandotte County, 10% went
to Nebraska, 7% went to Leavenworth County, and 5% went to Douglas County.
Sedgwick and
Butler counties each received 3%.
Shawnee County, Franklin County, Osage County,
California, Arizona, and Iowa each received 2%.
Donations by Win-Loss
Now, let’s
examine the percent of donations that went to candidates who won, and the
percent that went to candidates who lost.
Only two of
the candidates I supported financially won their elections.
I donated
$30 to Dan Osman, who won the Kansas House Race, in Dist. 48, in Johnson
County.
I donated
$10 to Derek Tran, who won the US House race, in California-45, in Orange and
Los Angeles counties.
I donated
$40 to candidates who won their elections.
I donated
$415 to candidates who lost their elections.
Only 9% of
my donations went to candidates who won their elections.
91% of my
donations went to candidates who lost.
Next, let’s
examine the percent of candidates that I supported financially who won their
races.
Two of the
candidates who I supported financially won their elections, and 14 lost their
elections.
12.5% of the
candidates I supported financially won their elections, and 87.5% of the
candidates I supported financially lost their elections.
Donations by Month
This graph
shows when I donated to political candidates throughout the year.
The exact
figures for each month are shown in the table below.
On the graph
above, you can clearly see when I lost my job.
I lost my
job working for a car wash on June 6, and I began working for Door Dash on
August 20.
I originally
planned for my donations to be fairly evenly distributed over time, but I
didn’t make any political contributions in June or July, because I was
unemployed, and I didn’t have an income.
Conclusion
Overall, the
2024 elections were catastrophic for Democrats.
Donald Trump
was reelected president, Republicans won control of both chambers of Congress,
and Republicans increased their supermajorities in both chambers of the Kansas
Legislature.
Nevertheless,
I spent my political donations wisely on candidates whose races were determined
by narrow margins.
With
practice donating across several elections, I have gotten
better at making sure my contributions go to competitive races where they will
be spent well.