Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, a staunch supporter of Republicans including President Donald Trump, launched a federal political action committee to significant fanfare in October 2024, with news organizations from CNN to Fox News to the Associated Press covering its creation.
At the time, Butker endorsed Trump and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and said his Upright PAC would be “a way to promote and encourage Christian voters to vote.”
Upright PAC’s website says the United States is “seeing our values under attack every day … in our schools, in the media, and even from our own government” and that the PAC is “working to mobilize Christians across this country to make sure we protect these values at the ballot box.”
But new federal records indicate that Upright PAC’s effort has fallen a few yards short of its target, at least so far.
During the first six months of 2025, Upright PAC raised just $4,023 and ended June with less than $1,800 in cash on hand, according to a financial disclosure report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Of the money it spent between January and June — about $7,400 — none of it benefitted Republican political candidates, either through direct donations to candidate committees or via advertisements that boost Republicans or criticize Democrats.
Upright PAC operates as a so-called “hybrid PAC” or “Carey committee.” This means it may, like a traditional PAC, raise limited amounts of money from donors to spread among like-minded political campaigns and party committees. It may also, like a super PAC, raise unlimited amounts of money for the specific purpose of advocating for or against political candidates through ads and other communications — so long as it doesn’t directly donate the money to political candidates.
But Upright PAC’s spending so far this year hasn’t benefitted political candidates in any form or fashion.
Most of Upright PAC’s spending this year went to pay political consultant Daniel Ambuul, with most of the rest covering merchant fees for political contribution payment processor WinRed, according to the PAC’s FEC report.
Upright PAC likewise spent no money on political candidates during October, November and December of 2024, its first months in existence, instead spending most of what it raised — about $38,000 — on fundraising, video production, office supply and consulting expenses.
Representatives for Upright PAC did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the Missouri Republican Party, the GOP committee operating in the state where Butker’s Chiefs play.
Missouri Democratic State Committee spokesperson Chelsea Rodriguez accused Upright PAC of being a “grift PAC” that mostly spends money on consultants and produces “literally nothing” of political value.
“These types of grift organizations are spreading across the country and across party lines, enabled by weak campaign finance laws,” Rodriguez told OpenSecrets. “Butker has followed the lead of many D-list public figures who use political controversy to boost their own profiles and income, exploiting conservative values as a marketing tool.”
With the NFL season approaching, Butker has maintained a high-profile political presence.
Last week, he appeared with Trump at the White House as the president signed an executive order restarting and redefining the dormant Presidential Fitness Test. Trump called Butker “the best in the business” and a “young superstar,” as well as a “handsome guy” and “good-looking sucker” during the event.
“Excited to do my part to help make America healthy again, to help our youth be healthy and thrive and grow up and be great citizens of this country and be great family members and contribute to this great country, and I think you have to be strong in mind and body and soul,” Butker said at the White House.
Last year, Butker, a conservative Catholic, made national headlines for targeting working women, “dangerous gender ideologies” and “bad policies and poor leadership” that “have negatively impacted major life issues” in the United States.
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media, all stem from pervasiveness of disorder,” Butker said during a commencement address as Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
While it’s highly uncommon for NFL players to lead their own PACs, both the NFL itself and the players’ union maintain bipartisan PACs.
The NFL’s Gridiron PAC made dozens of political contributions during the 2024 election cycle totaling $440,000, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis of federal data. Gridiron PAC slightly favored Democrats over Republicans last election cycle.
The NFL Players Association’s One Team PAC largely went dormant last election cycle but was sitting on nearly $900,000 in available cash as of June 30, according to FEC records.
NFL team owners regularly make federal political contributions, too, with a USA Today analysis of federal election data indicating they combined to pour at least $28 million into political committees and causes through September 2024of the 2023-2024 election cycle.
Butker’s Upright PAC could yet rebound from its slow financial start as 2026 midterm elections ramp up although it’s offered no indication of its future plans.
“We have a chance to fight back and reclaim the traditional values that have made this country great,” Upright PAC’s website states. “That’s why UPRIGHT PAC was founded.”
As an eight-year veteran with the Kansas City Chiefs, Butker has established himself as one of the National Football League’s most accurate placekickers, winning three Super Bowls and posting an 88.6 percent career field goal conversion rate, according to Pro Football Reference.
Dave Levinthal is a Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist. He served as OpenSecrets’ editorial and communications director from 2009 to 2011.