Top Congressional Stock Traders
Congressional stock trading in 2025 defied popular perception: only 32.2% of Congress members (100 of 311 portfolios) beat the S&P 500’s 16.8% return, according to Unusual Whales’ comprehensive analysis. However, the top performers achieved extraordinary returns exceeding 70% through concentrated, conviction-driven strategies in industrials, semiconductors, and emerging sectors like cryptocurrency.
Top Congressional Stock Traders 2025: Performance, Holdings & Million-Dollar Trades
This analysis examines verified performance data, sector allocation patterns, million-dollar transactions, and party-by-party trading strategies to help investors understand where America’s lawmakers placed their bets in 2025—and why tracking congressional trades has become an essential market intelligence tool.
For real-time disclosure tracking, see LambdaFin’s full Congressional Trading Dashboard.
TABLE 1: Top 10 Congressional Stock Traders by Portfolio Returns – 2025
| Rank | Name | Party | State/District | 2025 Portfolio Return | vs. S&P 500 | Strategy / Key Holdings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Davidson | R | OH-8 | +78.8% | +62.0% | Concentrated industrials/utilities: General Electric (GE), GE Vernova (GEV) |
| 2 | Donald Norcross | D | NJ-1 | +70.8% | +54.0% | Minimalist two-stock portfolio (industrials) |
| 3 | Terri Sewell | D | AL-7 | +67.9% | +51.1% | Diversified tech and industrials |
| 4 | Tim Moore | R | NC-14 | +52.0% | +35.2% | Small-cap leveraged positions, day trading (Cracker Barrel), $1.2M in leveraged ETF |
| 5 | Ted Cruz | R | TX | +50.0% | +33.2% | Goldman Sachs (GS) ~90% of portfolio, $4.4M position (up 53% in 2025) |
| 6 | Lisa McClain | R | MI-9 | +37.0% | +20.2% | Over 1,200 trades, semiconductor focus: TSMC (TSM), NVIDIA (NVDA) |
| 7 | Pete Ricketts | R | NE | +37.0% | +20.2% | Strategy details not disclosed |
| 8 | Tom Suozzi | D | NY-3 | +35.0% | +18.2% | NVIDIA concentration, $8.2M position (up 40% in 2025), $9.5M total portfolio |
| 9 | Lisa Murkowski | R | AK | +35.0% | +18.2% | Strategy details not disclosed |
| 10 | Marjorie Taylor Greene | R | GA-14 | +33.0% | +16.2% | 100+ stock diversified portfolio (Note: Unusual Whales reports +11.7%) |
The 2025 rankings reveal that concentration beats diversification when combined with conviction. Rep. Warren Davidson’s extraordinary 78.8% return came from a focused bet on General Electric and its spinoff GE Vernova, two companies positioned to benefit from federal infrastructure spending and the AI data center buildout. This concentrated strategy in industrials and utilities proved far more successful than high-volume, diversified approaches.
Rep. Donald Norcross achieved a remarkable 70.8% return with a minimalist two-stock portfolio, demonstrating the power of extreme concentration. His approach stands in stark contrast to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 100+ stock diversified portfolio, which returned 33%, still strong, but significantly below the concentrated performers.
Senator Ted Cruz’s 50% return came almost entirely from his ~$4.4 million holding in Goldman Sachs, which comprised ~90% of his portfolio. Rep. Tom Suozzi’s 35% return was driven primarily by an $8.2 million disclosed position in NVIDIA, while Nancy Pelosi’s 18% return was dragged by a large Salesforce position that declined in 2025.
TABLE 2: Congressional Trading Activity by Volume & Sector — 2025
| Category | Leading Member(s) | Party / State | Volume / Activity | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Trades (Volume) | Ro Khanna | D-CA-17 | 3,000+ trades | Spouse-managed portfolio, primarily tech mega-caps |
| Largest Buyer | Cleo Fields | D-LA-6 | $24.2M purchases | First-term congressman, heavy tech concentration |
| Largest Seller | Jefferson Shreve | R-IN-6 | $28.5M sales | Portfolio liquidation across multiple holdings |
| Most Late Filings | Lisa McClain | R-MI-9 | 504 late transactions | 41% of all late trades in 2025 |
| Options Trading Leader | Josh Gottheimer | D-NJ-5 | ~$40M options | Microsoft (MSFT) call options; former MSFT executive |
| House NVIDIA Exposure | Multiple members | Various | $11.2M net buys | Collective House buying; not single-member attribution |
| Cryptocurrency Leader | Brandon Gill | R-TX-26 | Up to $2.5M BTC | Purchased before GENIUS Act vote |
Technology Semiconductor Dominance: The House of Representatives collectively purchased $11.2 million in NVIDIA stock, reflecting bipartisan conviction in AI infrastructure buildout.
First-Term Aggression: Rep. Cleo Fields, a first-term congressman from Louisiana, emerged as 2025’s largest buyer with $24.2 million in stock purchases.
Cryptocurrency Exposure: Rep. Brandon Gill, the youngest Republican in the 119th Congress, disclosed purchasing up to $2.5 million in Bitcoin during his first six months in office. On July 17, 2025, Gill voted “Yea” on three major crypto bills including the GENIUS Act, which was signed into law the next day. The crypto market experienced all-time highs shortly thereafter.
Options Sophistication: Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a former Microsoft General Manager, executed approximately $40 million in Microsoft stock options on February 14, 2025. .
TABLE 3: Democrat vs Republican Stock Trading Performance — 2025
| Party | Avg Portfolio Return | # Members Who Traded | Top Performer | Median Return | vs. S&P 500 | Net Stock Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrat | +14.4% | 142 | Donald Norcross (+70.8%) | +12.1% | -2.4% (underperformed) | +$30.8M (net buyers) |
| Republican | +17.3% | 169 | Warren Davidson (+78.8%) | +14.8% | +0.5% (outperformed) | -$2.8M (net sellers) |
| S&P 500 | +16.8% | Benchmark | N/A | N/A | Baseline | N/A |
Sector Allocation & Strategic Positioning
| Asset Class / Sector | Democrats | Republicans | Net Congressional Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equities (Net) | +$30.8M buyers | -$2.8M sellers | -$170M (net outflow from stocks) |
| Bonds | $14M | $43M | +$57M (net inflow) |
| Municipal Securities | $3.5M | $28.6M (89%) | +$32M (net inflow) |
| Technology Stocks | +$27M net buys | -$16M net sells | Sector rotation within tech |
| Software | N/A | N/A | -$11.7M (net outflow) |
| Semiconductors | N/A | N/A | +$17M (net inflow) |
| Cryptocurrency | Minimal | $2.9M | GOP-dominated adoption |
| Options Trading | $4.8M | $555K | Democrats 8.6x more activity |
The 2025 data reveals a fundamental strategic divide between parties that mirrors broader economic philosophies:
Republicans: “Risk-Off” Defensive Positioning
GOP members adopted a defensive strategy, becoming net sellers of equities (-$2.8M) while simultaneously moving $43 million into bonds and $28.6 million into municipal securities, representing 89% of all congressional muni purchases. This “flight to safety” suggests Republicans anticipated market volatility or believed growth stocks were overvalued following the post-2024 election rally.
Democrats: “Risk-On” Growth Accumulation
Democrats maintained an aggressive equity strategy, ending the year as net buyers (+$30.8M) and doubling down specifically on technology. While the broader Congress moved away from software (-$11.7M) toward semiconductors (+$17M), Democrats led the semiconductor accumulation with the House’s collective $11.2M in NVIDIA purchases.
TABLE 4: Million-Dollar Trades by Congress Members — 2025
| Member Name | Party / State | Stock / Asset | Transaction Type | Transaction Value | Date Filed | Outcome / Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Pelosi | D-CA | Broadcom (AVGO) | Call Options Exercise | $1M–$5M | Jun 20, 2025 | Stock ~$250 on trade date, ~$349 by Dec (+40%) |
| Josh Gottheimer | D-NJ | Microsoft (MSFT) | Options (4 buys, 4 sells) | ~$40M total | Feb 14, 2025 | MSFT rose ~20% following trades |
| Cleo Fields | D-LA | NVIDIA (NVDA) | Stock Purchase | $1M–$5M | Jun 26, 2025 | +22% gain since purchase |
| Dave McCormick | R-PA | Goldman Sachs (GS) | Stock Sale (spouse) | $1M–$5M | Feb 28, 2025 | Sold before +47% rally (missed gain) |
| Dave McCormick | R-PA | Rumble (RUM) | Stock Sale | $1M–$5M | Jan 16, 2025 | Avoided -40% decline (good timing) |
| Scott Franklin | R-FL | Baldwin Insurance (BWIN) | Stock Sale | $1M–$5M | Feb 7, 2025 | Avoided -42% decline (good timing) |
| John Rose | R-TN | Alphabet (GOOGL) | Stock Sale | $1M–$5M | Jun 3, 2025 | Sold before +88% rally (missed gain) |
| Michael McCaul | R-TX | Meta (META) | Stock Sale | $5M–$10M | Various 2025 | Rotated to municipal bonds |
| Jefferson Shreve | R-IN | Various holdings | Stock Sales | $28.5M | Various 2025 | Largest seller in Congress (portfolio liquidation) |
| Brandon Gill | R-TX | Bitcoin (BTC) | Cryptocurrency Purchase | Up to $2.5M | 2025 H1 | Purchased before GENIUS Act passage |
Nancy Pelosi’s Broadcom Options Exercise
The former Speaker’s most profitable 2025 trade involved exercising 200 Broadcom call options on June 20, 2025, acquiring 20,000 shares at a strike price of $80 while the stock traded around $250. By December 23, Broadcom closed at $349.32, a 40% gain from the exercise date. Pelosi’s office maintains standard protocol: “Speaker Pelosi does not own any stocks and has no knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions.” The trades are executed by her husband, Paul Pelosi, who manages the family investments.
Josh Gottheimer’s $40M Microsoft Options Complex
The New Jersey congressman executed eight separate million-dollar-plus Microsoft options trades on February 14, 2025, including four call option purchases (strikes of $225, $230, $240) and four sales. The $40 million total represents one of the largest single-day options positions disclosed by any member. Gottheimer’s prior role as General Manager for Corporate Strategy at Microsoft raised eyebrows, though his spokesperson stated he “turned over management of his investments to a third party with full investment discretion and is awaiting Congressional approval for a blind trust.”
Senator Dave McCormick’s Mixed Timing
The freshman Pennsylvania Senator demonstrated both prescient and premature selling. He sold $1-5M in Rumble stock on January 16, 2025—just weeks after taking office—avoiding a subsequent 40% decline. However, his spouse’s sale of Goldman Sachs stock on February 28 proved costly, as GS rallied 47% afterward. McCormick sits on the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees financial services regulation.
Brandon Gill’s Crypto Bet Before Legislation
Rep. Brandon Gill, the youngest Republican in the 119th Congress, purchased up to $2.5 million in Bitcoin during his first six months—not the originally reported $250,000. On July 17, 2025, Gill voted “Yea” on the GENIUS Act, Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, and Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act. The GENIUS Act was signed into law the following day, and cryptocurrency markets reached all-time highs shortly thereafter.
How Lambda Finance Helps Investors Track Congressional Trades
For investors looking to monitor congressional trading activity, Lambda Finance provides comprehensive trade tracking as part of its all-in-one research platform. The system aggregates disclosures from the House clerk’s office and Senate’s Office of Public Records, translating complex PTR filings into actionable intelligence.
- Real-Time Disclosure Alerts: Notifications within hours of congressional trade filings
- AI-Powered Analysis: Lambda Chat answers questions like “Show me all semiconductor trades by Banking Committee members in 2025”
- Insider + Congressional Tracker: Unified view of corporate insider trades and congressional activity
- Portfolio Reconstruction: Track what any member holds based on disclosed filings
- Committee Cross-Reference: Identify when members trade stocks in sectors their committees regulate
- Performance Tracking: Historical returns for disclosed portfolios
Pricing: Congressional tracking is included in Lambda Finance starting at $29/month, consolidating multiple research tools into one subscription.
Key Takeaways: What 2025 Congressional Trading Data Reveals
- Only 32.2% beat the market: Two-thirds underperformed the S&P 500, similar to professional fund managers.
- Concentration beats diversification: The top performers cleared 70%+ returns with 1–3 stock bets, while diversified portfolios lagged.
- Semiconductor dominance: The House collectively bought $11.2M of NVIDIA, signaling bipartisan AI conviction.
- Party strategies diverged: Republicans rotated out of equities into bonds/munis, while Democrats stayed net equity buyers with far more options activity.
- STOCK Act enforcement slipped: Late filings surged, weakening the disclosure system’s real-world effectiveness.
- Party ETFs outperformed: Aggregated party-tracking strategies (e.g., NANC, KRUZ) beat the S&P 500 in 2025.
Ready to follow congressional trades? Start your free trial with Lambda Finance and get real-time alerts on congressional trading, insider activity, and AI-powered market analysis—all in one platform.
Sources
- Unusual Whales 2025 Congress Trading Report
- New York Post: “Here’s how much members of Congress raked in on their stock portfolios in 2025” (January 3, 2026)
- Forbes: “Congress’s Million Dollar Stock Trades In 2025” by Zach Everson (December 24, 2025)
- Capitol Trades: “Rep. Gottheimer Makes Waves with $40M in Microsoft Stock Options” (January 16, 2025)
- Quiver Quantitative Congressional Trading Database (accessed January 2026)