WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on expenses labeled as security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle, a fivefold increase over the past decade, according to a report by the Public Service Alliance. The report, authored by Justin Sherman, analyzed publicly available Federal Election Commission filings and included only expenses explicitly marked for security.

The 2023-24 cycle is the most recent for which security spending data is publicly available. The $40 million figure represented a small fraction of the billions of dollars spent on presidential and congressional campaigns during each two-year election cycle, and the report described its totals as conservative, noting they likely understate the full financial costs of security for political campaigns. The calculation did not include federal government security costs such as augmented Capitol Police services for members of Congress or heightened U.S. Secret Service protection for presidential candidates, former presidents, current presidents, and their families.

The Public Service Alliance is a nonpartisan group that focuses on security for public officials. The report did not specify which candidates spent the most on security. Members of Congress may also use office budget funds to pay for security separately from campaign expenditures.

Spending on digital security rose from $50,000 in the 2015-16 election cycle to $900,000 in the 2023-24 cycle. Campaigns spent nearly $1 million on home security over the past decade after spending nothing on it during the 2015-16 cycle. Home security expenses included contracts with response companies, window bars, and surveillance cameras. The report noted rising home security costs alongside an increase in doxing — the practice of posting the home addresses of elected officials on social media.

The spending increases have coincided with a series of attacks on political figures. In 2017, a shooting occurred at a Republican congressional baseball team practice in Alexandria, Virginia. In 2022, a hammer assault occurred on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. In 2024, an assassination attempt targeted then-candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. In 2025, a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were assassinated, and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah.

"It's expected that, say, a GOTV event or a campaign rally is going to have metal detectors and security," Sherman said.

The report also noted that individuals considering running for office must now factor home security costs into their decision-making. "It's a troubling time when the security spend is becoming a greater barrier for someone running for office," Sherman said.