Happy Thanksgiving! Before you dig into your bird, digest our report on the turkey industry's political activity, which has been on the rise in recent years. And we also took a look at some of the campaign giving among owners and employees of the NFL teams playing on Thanksgiving. Once you've had your fill of Thanksgiving-themed analysis, check out the data from the last time Doug Jones and Tommy Tuberville faced off. The two men from Alabama ran against each other for Senate in 2020 and are now positioned for rematch, but this time for governor.

Roughly 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day in the United States, according to a Department of Agriculture report. This figure represents more than 20 percent of the 200 million turkeys produced nationally each year. 

The National Turkey Federation represents the interests of nearly 300 companies involved in turkey production and distribution – about 95 percent of the industry. NTF members include the nation’s top producers of turkey, such as Butterball, Cargill Protein, Cooper Farms, Jennie-O, Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods.

Over the past two decades, Jackie Mitchell reports, OpenSecrets has tracked $3.28 million in lobbying expenditures by the National Turkey Federation. Each year from 2010 to 2023, the NTF spent $140,000 on lobbying. The federation increased its typical lobbying budget during the economic downturn in 2008-2009, and it has ramped up over the past two years.

The NTF’s recent lobbying efforts have been focused on bills addressing avian influenza and disease prevention, logistics and trade, immigration, and the impact of tariffs and retaliatory actions on the U.S. turkey industry.

In addition to lobbying, the NTF has funneled $2.4 million to federal candidates over the last 10 election cycles (2006-2024) through its political action committee, the National Turkey Federation PAC. On average, 33 percent of donations went to Democratic candidates while 67 percent went to Republican candidates. The PAC’s donations to federal candidates have increased 238 percent from 2006 to 2024, with $106,369 donated in 2006 and $359,000 donated in 2024.

While businesses, such as professional football teams, may not use corporate funds to donate to federal candidates, owners and employees are free to donate as they see fit (within legal limits). Of the six teams that are playing on Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys’ owners and employees (primarily Jerry Jones’ family) gave the most to candidates, party committees and outside spending groups in 2024. People affiliated with the publicly owned Green Bay Packers donated just a few hundred dollars last cycle.

Read more about the NFL's political activities.

We just kicked off our biggest fundraiser of the year: NewsMatch, a nationwide campaign to support nonprofit journalism. There’s never been a more critical time to protect independent newsrooms like ours — newsrooms that provide an essential public service to the American people. 

From now until Dec. 31, we have an opportunity to boost the impact of donations to OpenSecrets, which will help power our newsroom into 2026. Here’s how it works: 

NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or doubleyour one-time gift, for new gifts up to $1,000.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a donor to OpenSecrets or want to double your gift this year, this is the best time to do it. Your support will get our NewsMatch campaign off to a solid start and help keep us going strong.

In 2020, former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville ran for Senate in Alabama, easily ousting Democrat Doug Jones, even though Jones spent four times as much money on the race. The two men are poised for a rematch, but this time they will be running for governor.

Want to know who’s funding the candidates and causes shaping our democracy? With our Donor Lookup tools, you can quickly and easily:

Whether you’re a concerned voter, journalist, researcher, or just a curious citizen, Donor Lookup puts transparency at your fingertips.

The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon (The Washington Post)

What an ethics complaint against 16 state lawmakers reveals about dark money in Colorado politics (KUNC)

Trump-Aligned Groups Get Big Boost From ‘Dark Money’ Behemoth (NOTUS)

Fugees rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegal lobbying (BBC)

How billionaires took over American politics (The Washington Post)

In 2000, the country’s wealthiest 100 people donated about a quarter of 1 percent of the total cost of federal elections, according to a Post analysis of data from OpenSecrets. By 2024, they covered about 7.5 percent, even as the cost of such elections soared. In other words, roughly 1 in every 13 dollars spent in last year’s national elections was donated by a handful of the country’s richest people.

The shocking amount billionaires are spending to influence elections has Americans worried about democracy: New poll (NJ.com)

Musk alone donated more than $291 million to Republican candidates, political action committees and other outside spending organizations, according to analysis by OpenSecrets. Business magnate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave nearly $65 million to Democrats. 

‘Friends end up blocking you’: Northwestern Mutual sold college grads a dream job. They left in ruin and debt (The Guardian)

The industry has fought to keep it that way. Since 1998, insurers have spent nearly $4bn lobbying, according to OpenSecrets. Northwestern alone spent almost $3m last year. “They have the best lobbyists in the world,” says Georgetown professor James Angel. “They’ve forestalled federal regulation for a century.”

Can Paul Finebaum win the U.S. Senate race in Alabama? Here’s what he faces (AL.com)

Tuberville raised $8.5 million in 2020 to defeat Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who raised more than $30 million, according to Open Secrets. In 2022, Sen. Katie Britt raised more than $11.4 million.

Unearthed FEC records expose vulnerable Dem senator's hypocrisy on taking cash from billionaires (Fox News)

In total, Ossoff's campaigns have received contributions from over 70 billionaires since 2017 when Ossoff first ran for Congress. Ossoff has touted his refusal to accept corporate PAC money, but according to election finance watchdog OpenSecrets, some of Ossoff's top individual contributors come from major corporations like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the OpenSecrets Merch Store! Now, you can support our mission while looking good doing it. Every purchase helps us provide comprehensive and reliable data, analysis and tools for policymakers, storytellers and citizens. 

Our collection — initially featuring a hoodie, crewneck, t-shirt and hat — is designed to spread awareness and make a difference. Whether you're treating yourself or finding the perfect gift, every item you buy helps fuel our cause. And every item in our store was manufactured by a certified ethical and “sweat-free” company.

Join us in wearing your support —  transparency has never been more comfortable!