Sanders Backs El-Sayed Amid $9M AIPAC Spending Push
Sen. Bernie Sanders throws $1M to El-Sayed as AIPAC targets Michigan Senate race.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has thrown a $1 million lifeline to Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a bid to counter the $9 million pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spending push against El-Sayed’s Senate bid against Republican Mike Rogers. Sanders, a longtime critic of big money in politics, said the move was a way to stand with democracy and support El-Sayed’s campaign.
Efforts to Match AIPAC Spending
After learning of AIPAC’s plans, Sanders began working the phones to raise more money for El-Sayed, securing $300,000 in pledges from about a dozen Democrats by the end of the day. While acknowledging that his fundraising would not match the outside spending against El-Sayed, Sanders emphasized the importance of supporting the campaign.
“That’s nowhere near what AIPAC is doing,” Sanders told The New York Times. “It’s nowhere near what other super PACs — billionaire-funded super PACs — are doing. But it is a way to stand with democracy and with Abdul’s campaign.”
Additional Support from Democratic Leaders
El-Sayed has also received backing from other Democratic leaders. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who rallied with Sanders for El-Sayed over the summer, also directed $1 million toward the race while campaigning in Michigan last week. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said she reached out to El-Sayed after the Times report with a simple request: “Can you help?” Her leadership PAC spent $350,000 backing El-Sayed in the primary.
Razor-Thin Race and Voter Concerns
The money is pouring in for a race that’s razor-thin. A recent Fox News poll found El-Sayed leading Rogers by a single point among likely voters, 50% to 49%, well within the poll’s 3-percentage-point margin of error. Rogers is also contending with voter frustration over rising costs during the war in Iran.
Rogers has tried to distance himself from the conflict, telling voters in a campaign ad that “the war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly.” But at Wednesday’s debate, he also said he supports the reasoning behind it. “You want to pay $8 [for] a gallon of gas, let Iran get a nuclear weapon,” he said. “You lose control of that whole region,” Rogers said.
Controversies and Allegations
El-Sayed has faced allegations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and backlash over campaigning with Hasan Piker, the streamer who said “America deserved 9/11.” He has also faced criticism for presenting himself as a physician despite lacking a medical license in Michigan or New York, and over a resurfaced clip showing him hating on one of Michigan’s most beloved vacation destinations, Mackinac Island.
Source: Daily Wire
