Despite the $62 million in outside money to stop him, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Democratic primary defeating Congresswoman Haley Stevens. He won despite a nine-to-one spending disadvantage–indicating the possibility that a “reverse leverage” phenomenon may be beginning to emerge in certain races in the United States. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) alone spent over $30 million on the Stevens campaign, and failed.
Dr. El-Sayed has been supported by several progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders. This Michigan Senate race has been closely watched as another test of the Democratic establishment challenged by often younger insurgents. The Stevens campaign was virtually owned by AIPAC, but Stevens avoided any mention of her ties to AIPAC, and AIPAC worked to disguise their role in bankrolling her campaign. In May the Detroit News reported that AIPAC has gone to extremes to conceal money transfers using super PACs such as the United Democracy Project, and encouraging its mega donors to contribute directly to the campaign, using what some call a “Back Door” funding vehicle. The Detroit News reported that 31% of all Stevens campaign contributions of $200 or more were also contributors to AIPAC since 2025.
