AIPAC spends the largest amount in its history to oust Michigan Democratic nominee Abdul Sayed (Associated Press)
Afrasianet - "Crush AIPAC", the crowd chanted at a campaign rally for the campaign of Abdul Sayed, the Democratic Party's candidate for the U.S. Senate, in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has become the main topic of discussion in the Michigan Democratic primary, which analysts say could affect the party's approach to Israel for years to come.
At Friday's campaign rally in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan Rep. Alabbas Farhat vowed that voters would make the pro-Israel group "burn" millions of dollars by electing Mr. Smith to the U.S. Senate.
"The traditional approach has long told us that we don't have money to build modern schools, we don't have money for clean drinking water, or for health care, or for affordable housing," Farhat told the gathering, adding, "But when money is demanded to bomb children in Gaza, to launch an ethnic cleansing campaign in southern Lebanon, this administration seems to be saving those funds."
AIPAC spent millions to topple candidate Abdul al-Sayed, a doctor, epidemiologist and former progressive public health official (French)
Several speakers also took the podium, including members of parliament Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, while the name of Mr. Sayed's rival in Tuesday's election, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, was barely mentioned.
Instead, AIPAC, which breaks records in electoral spending to bring down candidates critical of Israeli policies such as al-Sayed, has been repeatedly denounced amid booing.
Mr. Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist and progressive former public health official, is running against Stevens, a four-term member of the House of Representatives, to succeed retired Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
The winner will face former House Speaker Mike Rogers, the likely Republican nominee, in November.
But how much did AIPAC and other special interest groups spend specifically in Michigan? Where does this money come from?
Michigan state Rep. Alabbas Farhat vowed that voters would make the pro-Israel group burn millions of dollars in vain by electing a master (websites)
How much money was spent to support Stevens and face the master?
Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that AIPAC and other PACs spent more than $54 million to support Stevens. An undisclosed funding group called the Center for Democratic Priorities has also spent about $6.5 million on ads supporting Stevens, according to local media reports, bringing the total to more than $60 million.
The Center for Democratic Priorities did not report its spending to the Federal Election Commission.
The data showed that AIPAC's electoral arm, the United Democracy Project (UDP), had spent more than $30 million in the race as of Saturday evening.
This amount is a record for AIPAC, which uses its enormous spending power to block candidates who oppose unconditional aid to Israel.
Who is funding the United Democracy Project?
AIPAC directs and manages this project, and this committee is also the largest donor to the PAC (PAC).
Of the $100 million the project raised this election cycle, $30 million came from AIPAC, a social welfare nonprofit that makes it difficult to track down its donors.
The mechanism for transferring money from nonprofits to electoral political action committees to influence U.S. elections is known as "dark money."
In addition to AIPAC, the project is heavily funded by wealthy supporters of Israel, including:
• Paul Singer, hedge fund manager and supporter of Republican President Donald Trump.
• The Kraft Group, a company headed by Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.
• Mark Rowan, President of an asset management firm.
• Blair Frank, investment banker.
• Haim Saban is an American-Israeli entrepreneur in the entertainment industry.
• David Cordish, Real Estate Developer.
What other political action committees?
The other $30 million that flooded the race with pro-Stevens and anti-Mr. ads came mostly from political action committees funded by other political action committees and dark money groups that did not disclose their donors in full.
It's like a Russian doll: a political action committee within another political action committee within a third committee within a non-profit social welfare organization (a dark money group).
AIPAC has previously used fake political action committees to hide its spending in the Democratic primary.
The largest non-AIPAC spender in the race is a newly formed group called Michigan Stronger, with more than $17 million spent.
The committee receives most of its funding from a nonprofit organization called Center Forward, whose stated mission is to promote partisanship.
Stronger Michigan also received funds from another political action committee created this year, Michigan Forward 2026.
In contrast, Federal Election Commission records show that Michigan Forward 2026 is funded by businessman Daniel Lubitzky, the American Chemistry Council (a trade association for the chemical industry), and the American Foundation for Good Governance (another nonprofit).
Separately, a committee called the Center Forward Committee, which is also affiliated with the nonprofit Center Forward, spent about $900,000 in the race. The group received money from corporate donors, including Chevron and United Healthcare Group.
And that's not all: another new committee, United to Win, has entered with nearly $4 million to help Stevens. The group lists Democracy Matters, a political action committee that has not reported any major fundraising or spending this year, as its sole donor.
U.S. Senate candidates Abdul Elsayed (left) and Rep. Haley Stevens in a televised debate (Reuters)
How much did the two direct campaigns collect?
These political action committees operate independently of the candidates themselves, and are prohibited by law from coordinating with election campaigns.
The funding announcements made by these committees are known as "independent expenditures".
Campaigns raise their money from individual donations, with a cap of $3,500 per person per election.
However, special interest groups can direct funds to campaigns outside of independent expenditures by encouraging supporters and their family members to donate directly to the candidate.
Mr. Stevens surpassed Stevens in direct fundraising for the campaign with $14.5 million, compared to $11.9 million.
Are there any political action committees that supported Mr. Sayed?
Yes, the progressive Democrat received about $3.5 million in support from independent expenditures, a very small fraction compared to what Stevens received. The biggest spender in his camp was for Michigan, a group funded by progressive groups and pro-Palestine donors.
The committee received donations from the Middle East Understanding Institute, a nonprofit organization. Mr. Al-Sayed's father-in-law also donated $300,000 to the group. Saikat Chakrabarti, a progressive activist who ran for Congress and was unlucky enough in California in June, gave $250,000 to the group For Michigan.
Some trade unions and progressive groups have used their political action committees in limited campaigns, such as phone calls, to help Mr.
Stevens said there was no difference between the political committees she supported and those that supported Abdul El-Sayed (French)
What did Stevens say?
In recent weeks, Stevens has downplayed the millions AIPAC has spent on her own and repeatedly avoided answering questions about the group she has thanked in the past.
"I don't think there's much difference between the big political action committees that support Abed and those that support me," she said during a recent debate. We have a problem with fixing campaign finance in this country."
Mr. Smith's supporters were quick to point out that the difference exceeded $56 million.
Although she appears to be moving away from her campaign spending, a section of her website titled "Media" includes basic guidelines for AIPAC ads and political action committees. "African-American Democratic voters in the statewide primary should read and see in their mailboxes and on YouTube how Haley served as chief of staff for President Barack Obama's auto industry rescue plan," it said.
The site also provides silent videos of Stevens interacting with voters, which appear to be intended for use in TV commercials.
Candidate Abdul El-Sayed said Stevens voted in favor of sending $3.3 billion in tax money to a foreign government (French)
What did Sayed say?
Stevens' support from AIPAC, at a time when support for Israel among Democrats is at an all-time low, has been a key fulcrum of Mr. Smith's campaign against the lawmaker.
While he represents the people of Michigan, Stevens owes money to its donors, led by AIPAC. "Donald Trump is not the disease itself; it's just the first symptom of the disease of our politics," he said on Friday. "Disease is this system that allows millionaires, corporations and special interest groups like AIPAC to buy and sell politicians to manipulate the system against us."
In a debate last month, El-Sayed noted that Stevens voted against cutting funding to Israel, linking this stance to AIPAC's financial interference in the Senate race.
"Just last week, our friend here voted to send $3.3 billion of your tax money to a foreign government," Mr. said. That's the return that comes with the $30 million spent by AIPAC."
What did AIPAC say?
AIPAC, which has been a fierce advocate of the war in Gaza and the bombing campaigns in Iran, rejects the idea that it is a lobbying group serving a foreign government. Instead, the organization presents itself as a coalition of committed Americans who see a close U.S. -Israel alliance as beneficial to both countries.
"As proud Americans and pro-Israel Americans, we will never apologize for participating in the political process and standing up to those who undermine our shared values," the group said in a recent email to its supporters, calling the Michigan Senate race "decisive."
Knockout
Palestinian rights advocates say that if Mr. Sayed, who leads the polls, can win over Stevens and AIPAC, it would be a fatal blow to pro-Israel efforts in the United States.
Vivian Mughni, one of Mr. Dearborn's supporters, said: "Progress is happening. People are waking up. The truth is coming."
While many House progressives have been elected from districts with overwhelming Democratic majorities, Mr. Sayed's rise in Michigan, a diverse state of more than 10 million people that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024, could spell a political earthquake on the Israeli issue within the Democratic Party.
The Michigan Senate race could also decide which party will control the chamber after the general election in November.
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