Defend the Vote Leadership Fund is a joint fundraising committee that supports the reelection campaigns of Democratic Party leadership members in the U.S. House of Representatives. ¹ In the 2024 cycle, it worked jointly with the campaigns of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA). ²

It is part of the Defend the Vote family of Democratic Party-aligned organizations, along with Defend the Vote and the Defend the Vote Action Fund hybrid PAC. ¹

Background

As of 2025, Defend the Vote Leadership Fund was led by Brian Lemek, who was also the executive director of Defend the Vote and Defend the Vote Action Fund. Lemek is a Democratic Party operative who was formerly the vice president for development at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the founding executive director of its associated Brady PAC political action committee. ³ Lemek is also the founder and treasurer of the Stop Gun Violence PAC, which is listed as an “affiliated organization” in Defend the Vote’s Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. ³

As a joint fundraising committee, Defend the Vote Leadership Fund raises money to contribute to the campaigns of Democratic congressional leaders. These campaign committees can use those donations either to support the candidate’s re-election or donate them in turn to other campaigns, political action committees, or Democratic Party organizations. ⁴

2024 Elections

In the 2024 election cycle, the Defend the Vote Leadership Fund raised $605,615 and spent $602,379. ⁵

It donated $121,000 each to the Congressional campaigns of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), who was unopposed in both her primary and general elections. ^{6 7 8}

Defend the Vote Leadership Fund’s only other candidate donations went to Whitney Fox, who unsuccessfully challenged Republican incumbent Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) in Florida’s 13^th Congressional District, losing by 39,706 votes. ⁹ Defend the Vote Action Fund gave $6,000 to Fox’s campaign and $5,000 to the Whitney Fox Victory Fund joint fundraising committee. ⁵

Defend the Vote Leadership Fund also transferred $43,000 to its associated Defend the Vote PAC in 2024. ⁵

1. “About Us.” Defend The Vote. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://wedefendthevote.org/about/.
2. “DEFEND THE VOTE LEADERSHIP FUND.” Federal Election Commission, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00831495/?tab=about-committee.
3. Lemek, Brian. “Brian Lemek – Executive Director, Defend The Vote (PAC) & President, Defend The Vote Action Fund (C4) – Defend the Vote | Linkedin.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlemek/.
4. “Rep. Hakeem Jeffries – New York District 08.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/hakeem-jeffries/expenditures?cid=N00033640&cycle=2024.
5. “Defend the Vote Leadership Fund Summary, 2024.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/joint-fundraising-committees-jfcs/defend-the-vote-leadership-fund/C00831495/2024/summary.
6. “Defend the Vote Leadership Fund Expenditures, 2024.” OpenSecrets. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/joint-fundraising-committees-jfcs/defend-the-vote-leadership-fund/C00831495/2024/expenditures.
7. “2024 Cycle Report.” Defend The Vote, December 2024. https://wedefendthevote.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Defend-The-Vote-2024-Cycle-Report-1.pdf.
8. “Katherine Clark.” Ballotpedia. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Katherine_Clark.
9. Whitney Fox – Ballotpedia. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Whitney_Fox.