Investor activity among members of Congress remains a topic of considerable attention for market participants and political observers alike. Recent disclosures pertaining to stock transactions conducted during 2025 indicate that numerous lawmakers managed to outperform the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY), which recorded a 16.6% gain throughout the year.
Data released by Unusual Whales highlights the top contributors to congressional portfolio returns for 2025, presenting a notable deviation from pure benchmarks. The metrics specified that Republican members experienced an average increase of 17.3% in their investments, while their Democratic counterparts averaged 14.4% returns.
Opening the list of the decade’s best congressional trades, Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio secured the highest gain at 78.8%, closely followed by Representative Donald Norcross from New Jersey achieving 70.8%. The subsequent highest yielders included Representative Terri Sewell (Alabama, 67.9%), Representative Bryan Steil (Wisconsin, 62.5%), and Senator Alex Padilla of California (61.7%). Completing the top ten were a mix of both senators and house members from bipartisan backgrounds, ranging from Representative Dwight Evans (Pennsylvania) with a 41.9% gain to Representative Nick LaLota (New York) with a 61.5% increase.
It is noteworthy that none of the top ten performers from 2025 appeared on the equivalent 2024 list, signaling a dynamic shift in trading success among Congress members. High-profile investors such as Representative Nancy Pelosi (California) ranked 28th with a 20.1% gain, surpassing the S&P 500 benchmark yet trailing many peers. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene placed 38th with an 11.7% return, underperforming the index.
The overall stock acquisition activity by congressional members in 2025 was substantial, with reported purchases totaling approximately $125 million. Among these, investments in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, were also recorded, amounting to nearly $2.9 million in acquisitions.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) emerged prominently, both as a leading stock holding for top figures like Pelosi and Greene and as the most actively purchased equity among House members, with acquisition volumes exceeding $11 million. Complementing this, other technology giants gained significant purchasing attention: Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) at $5 million; Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) at $3.8 million; Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) at $3.7 million; and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) collectively at $3.6 million.
These top five companies represent the so-called 'Magnificent 7' stocks, a group that continues to attract congress members’ investment focus. The other members of this group—Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA)—received comparatively lower inflows, registering $1.4 million and $555,000 respectively.
Sector-wise, technology dominated the stock purchases of legislators. This preference also extended to financial services, health care, consumer cyclical goods, and industrial sectors, underscoring a broad range of economic interests reflected in congressional portfolios.
Despite these promising investment returns, concerns have been raised about certain trading behaviors. Several member transactions drew scrutiny due to their timing, especially when lawmakers served on committees with jurisdiction over the companies involved. For example, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and others, holding positions on the Homeland Security Committee and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, made acquisitions in Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR), a company active in security technology.
Furthermore, the report identified instances where some members of Congress failed to comply with timely disclosure requirements for stock trades, a violation of the STOCK Act. This raises questions regarding transparency and the potential for conflicts of interest within legislative ranks.
Performance metrics for partisan trading ETFs also indicate a divergent trend. The Unusual Whales Subversive Democratic Trading ETF (BATS: NANC) rose by 20.8%, and the Republican counterpart ETF (BATS: GOP) increased by 18.8%, both outperforming the S&P 500 over the same period.
These figures reflect an active engagement by elected officials in equity markets, with varying degrees of success and regulatory compliance. While some portfolios clearly overachieved market performance, the underlying dynamics of sector preference and disclosure adherence suggest areas for ongoing monitoring.
Key Points
- Multiple members of Congress exceeded the S&P 500’s 16.6% return in 2025, with the top performers registering gains above 40%.
- NVIDIA was the most purchased stock by congressional traders, alongside major technology firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet.
- Congressional trading activity showed bipartisan strength, with both Democratic and Republican ETFs outperforming the broader market.
- Questions remain regarding unusual trading practices and delays in reporting trades, tied to members with committee oversight of relevant sectors.
Risks and Uncertainties
- Delays or failures in disclosing stock trades pose challenges to transparency mandated under the STOCK Act and may undermine trust.
- Investments by lawmakers in companies linked to their committee responsibilities raise potential conflicts of interest concerns.
- Market performance of congressional portfolios can fluctuate, and past gains do not guarantee future success.
- The concentration in technology and cyclical sectors could expose portfolios to sector-specific volatilities.