Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF)

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) is a right-of-center super PAC that supports Republican candidates running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and a Republican majority in the House. According to its website, as of 2026 CLF claims to have “spent more than any other outside group to elect Republican candidates in House races.” 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: 527 (Political Action Committee), Super PAC
Ideological Alignment: Right of Center
Website: congressionalleadershipfund.org
Formation:

2011

President:

Chris Winkelman

Treasurer:

Caleb Crosby

FEC ID:

C00504530

Location: Washington, DC View on map

Contents

    The American Action Network (AAN) is a sister 501(c)(4) social-welfare group that develops and promotes media hits including political ads to assist Republican candidates 2 running for office while criticizing Democratic candidates. 3

    Background

    The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) was founded in 2011 during the tenure of then-U.S. House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH). As of 2026, CLF was associated with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other members of House Republican leadership. 2

    CLF supports the campaigns of Republican Congressional candidates through direct mail, television, and digital media advertising; voter turn-out programs; polling; and messaging research.  1

    Activities

    Ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, CLF publishes a “Weekly Battleground Roundup” on its website highlighting key race updates for battleground states and information on candidates running for both parties. 4

    In July 2025, CLF launched the Durable Majority Project to identify and target key constituencies to vote Republican in the 2026 midterms.  5

    During the 2024 election cycle, CLF raised over $243 million in battleground states to support the Republican majority in the U.S House.  6

    Financials

    According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Congressional Leadership Fund received $163.1 million in contributions between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. 7 Several of its largest contributions came from its sister nonprofit organization American Action Network, conservative political donor Miriam Adelson, technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, billionaire hedge fund managers Ken Griffin and Paul E. Singer, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. 8

    CLF also received contributions from companies and organizations including cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, energy corporation Chevron, Altria Client Services, the Solana Institute, Taylor Fresh Foods, Geo Reentry Services, and trade associations American Petroleum Institute and the National Association of Realtors.  8

    In this same period, CLF reported $22.9 million in spending. 9 Its spending included $8 million to the California Republican Party and $5 million to the No on Prop 50 campaign in California to oppose a Democratic-backed redistricting ballot initiative. CLF made payments throughout this cycle to consulting companies like Finance Strategies Group, Strategic Advance Services, Targeted Victory, America Rising, and Deep Root Analytics. 10

    Leadership

    As of 2026, Chris Winkelman was the president of Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the American Action Network. Previously, Winkelman was the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee and a partner with the Holtzman Vogel law firm. 11

    As of 2026, Caleb Crosby was the treasurer of Congressional Leadership Fund  12 and Senate Leadership Fund. 13 Crosby is a former president and CEO of the Alabama Policy Center and formerly held positions at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Treasury, and the White House during the George W. Bush administration. Crosby worked as a finance consultant for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and as CFO for the National Republican Congressional Committee. 14

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    References

    1. “About.” Congressional Leadership Fund. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/about/.
    2. “Congressional Leadership Fund.” Ballotpedia. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://ballotpedia.org/Congressional_Leadership_Fund.
    3. “About.” American Action Network. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://americanactionnetwork.org/about-aan/.
    4. “Weekly Battleground Roundup.” Congressional Leadership Fund. Juny 10, 2026. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/blog/weekly-battleground-roundup-55/.
    5. “CLF launches The Durable Majority Project.” Congressional Leadership Fund. July 8, 2025. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/clf-launches-the-durable-majority-project/.
    6. “CLF Statement on Republicans Winning the House Majority.” Congressional Leadership Fund. November 13, 2024. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/clf-statement-on-republicans-winning-the-house-majority/.
    7. “CLF: Total Raised.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/#total-raised.
    8. “CLF: Raising.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/?tab=raising.
    9. “CLF: Total Spent.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/?tab=summary#total-spent.
    10. CLF: Disbursements.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?committee_id=C00504530&two_year_transaction_period=2026&cycle=2026&line_number=F3X-29&data_type=processed.
    11. “Chris Winkelman.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-winkelman-4734b17/.
    12. “CLF: About this committee.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/?tab=about-committee.
    13. “SLF PAC: About this committee.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00571703/?tab=about-committee.
    14. “Caleb Crosby.” Alabama Policy Institute. Archived from the original April 15, 2021. Accessed August 2, 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415224632/https://alabamapolicy.org/member/crosby/.