By Hulk Johny | January 27, 2026
CARSON CITY, NV — Nevada’s Democratic lawmakers are increasingly reliant on out-of-state donors to fuel their political machines, with recent financial filings revealing that a staggering majority of their individual contributions come from beyond the Silver State’s borders.
An analysis of the most recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) data for the 2023-2024 election cycle, compiled by OpenSecrets, shows that Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, along with Representatives Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, and Susie Lee, drew between 61 percent and 90 percent of their individual donations from out-of-state sources.
This heavy dependence on external funding raises questions about whose interests these politicians truly represent, especially as many of these contributions flow through ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising platform currently under multiple federal and state investigations for alleged fraud and straw donor schemes.
The Out-of-State Fundraising Juggernaut
The sheer scale of national money flowing into Nevada is unprecedented. Senator Jacky Rosen, who successfully defended her seat in the 2024 cycle, reported total individual contributions of $35,663,696. Of this, only $3,625,683 (10.17%) came from in-state donors, while a whopping $32,038,013 (89.83%) originated out-of-state. Her overall fundraising haul reached $50,872,605, with top contributors including pro-Israel groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at over $1.2 million.
Similarly, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, who is not up for re-election until 2028, amassed $36,742,175 in individual contributions, with just 9.52% ($3,469,444) coming from Nevada. A staggering 90.48% ($32,988,206) was sourced from elsewhere.
In the House, the trend remains dominant:
- Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04): $2,786,207 in individual donations; 74.13% out-of-state.
- Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01): $1,307,551 in individual donations; 61.82% out-of-state.
- Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03): $4,288,618 in individual donations; 69.48% out-of-state.
ActBlue: The Conduit Under Fire
Much of this money is funneled through ActBlue, the online powerhouse that processes small-dollar donations for Democrats nationwide. While ActBlue acts as a conduit and not the donor itself, its role in modern Democratic strategy is absolute.
Representative Horsford, for instance, has come under fire for receiving approximately $5 million through ActBlue—representing over 93 percent of his total haul. This figure has drawn particular attention following a crackdown by President Trump on foreign election interference.
The reliance on ActBlue comes at a precarious time. In April 2025, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum directing the Department of Justice to investigate online fundraising platforms for “straw donor” schemes and foreign contributions. This was followed by a July 2025 subpoena from three powerful House committees led by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Bryan Steil (R-WI), and James Comer (R-KY), targeting ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones.
The investigation stems from reports that ActBlue’s lax verification—previously lacking basic security measures like CVV requirements—allowed bad actors to exploit the system. Allegations include “identity theft” of retirees and “smurfing,” a process where large, illegal donations are broken down into thousands of tiny, untraceable micro-donations attributed to unsuspecting individuals.
2026 Midterm Strategy: Banking on the National Network
As the 2026 midterm cycle heats up, Nevada Democrats show no signs of slowing their national fundraising. Representative Susie Lee reportedly raised more than $800,000 in the final quarter of 2025, boosting her cash on hand to a record $2.3 million. Given her historical reliance on national donors, it is expected that the vast majority of this record-breaking quarter again flowed from out-of-state through the ActBlue platform.
Even at the state level, the influence of ActBlue is visible. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who recently launched a bid for Governor in 2026, prominently features ActBlue fundraising links. In his 2022 re-election cycle, Ford was forced to return $16,000 in contributions linked to a California family allegedly involved in a straw donor scheme processed through ActBlue, eventually donating those funds to charity amid the growing scandal.
A Disconnect from Nevada Voters?
Critics argue that this financial model creates a representative body more beholden to the policy whims of New York and California donors than the working-class families of the Silver State. As Nevada’s electorate grows increasingly independent, the Democratic reliance on highly ideological, out-of-state “mega-donors” and national small-dollar networks may further alienate moderate voters concerned about local issues like housing affordability and inflation.
With the Department of Justice’s probe into ActBlue’s practices ongoing and the 2026 elections on the horizon, the spotlight on the Nevada Democratic delegation’s funding sources is unlikely to fade.