Resort venues, Orioles tickets and catering: where DMV leadership PACs host donors

By Philippa Langstrom

WASHINGTON — A Virginia hunt-country resort, the Baltimore Orioles and a downtown Washington event space are among the places where the region’s senators and one House member have spent leadership PAC money on donor events, Federal Election Commission records show.

Leadership PACs commonly pay for fundraisers and donor events, and the spending described here is legal and was disclosed. The payments below come from itemized disbursement reports the committees filed with the FEC.

Kaine: the Salamander Resort

Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) Common Ground PAC paid the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Va., $64,041 on Aug. 1, 2025, and $15,250 on Oct. 9, 2025, for catering and venue rental, according to the PAC’s FEC disbursement records. That $79,291 total made the resort the PAC’s seventh-largest itemized payee this cycle.

The same PAC paid Wheels Up Consulting LLC, a fundraising firm, $98,500 in monthly consulting fees, generally $5,000 to $7,500 a month, the records show. Common Ground raised $2,380,293 and gave $718,500 to other federal candidates and committees through Oct. 14.

Alsobrooks: the Orioles and Nick’s Fish House

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks’s (D-Md.) AlsoPAC reported $17,875 in payments to the Baltimore Orioles: $10,000 for facility rental on July 1, 2025; $1,500 on Jan. 26, 2026; and $6,375 for event tickets on May 26, 2026, according to its FEC disbursement records.

The PAC also paid Nick’s Fish House, a Baltimore waterfront restaurant, $17,961 for catering across several events, including payments of $7,633 and $9,577. It paid the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore $14,412 for facility rental and catering and Levy Restaurants $11,163. AlsoPAC raised $842,621 and gave $268,000 to other candidates and committees through Oct. 14.

Raskin: Washington Suite Life

Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-Md.) Democracy Summer Leadership PAC paid Washington Suite Life LLC $22,500 on Feb. 19, 2025, for event tickets and facility rental, and $24,795 on March 13, 2026, for catering and facility rental, according to the PAC’s FEC records. The $47,295 total made the vendor the PAC’s second-largest payee, after its own Democracy Summer youth-organizing program.

Raskin’s PAC gave $433,200 to other candidates and committees through Oct. 14, a larger share of its spending than the Senate PACs above.

In context

Donor events are a core function of leadership PACs, and the amounts above are a small share of each committee’s spending. Kaine’s Salamander payments equal about 4% of Common Ground’s disbursements this cycle; Alsobrooks’s Orioles payments are about 2% of AlsoPAC’s.

Responses

The Inquisitor is seeking comment from Kaine, Alsobrooks and Raskin on what events the payments covered. This story will be updated with any response.