skip navigation
Here's how you know US flag signifying that this is a United States Federal Government website

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

SSL

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Registering as a candidate

An individual running for federal office must register and file financial reports when he or she raises or spends more than $5,000 in contributions or expenditures.

Federal candidates must designate a principal campaign committee. This campaign committee takes in contributions and makes expenditures for the candidate’s campaign. Candidates may designate additional authorized campaign committees to help raise and spend funds, but only a principal campaign committee is required.

The first steps that follow cover specific topics to help an individual register as a candidate.