@swamplighting on X
Public records. A closer look.
SwampLight reads public government data about members of Congress and 2026 federal candidates, spotting patterns that are unusual compared with their peers. When a pattern is well documented, we publish it as a SwampLight Spotlight: the facts, where each one comes from, and the innocent explanations to rule out.
A Spotlight flags public-record patterns for further investigation or explanation. It is not an accusation of wrongdoing.
Spotlights
- The first Spotlights are in review and will appear here.
How it works
- We load public records: campaign finance filings, financial disclosures, office spending, votes, lobbying and court records.
- Detectors look for patterns that are rare among peers. Every detector runs on everyone, regardless of party.
- A second check reviews each record, and a person reviews every Spotlight before it is published.
- Each Spotlight links every fact to the original public record.
Where the data comes from
- Federal Election Commission filings and bulk data
- House Clerk and Senate financial disclosures
- House Statements of Disbursements
- Congress.gov, House and Senate roll-call votes
- Lobbying Disclosure Act and FARA filings
- USAspending, court and enforcement records
Corrections and responses
If you're named in a Spotlight, or you find an error, we want to hear from you. Send a message to @swamplighting. Responses and corrections are added to the Spotlight.