AIPAC-Progressive Battle Intensifies In Michigan Senate Race As Super PAC Backs El-Sayed

A new progressive super PAC is planning a multimillion-dollar campaign to boost Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, escalating a growing battle with AIPAC-backed forces supporting Rep. Haley Stevens.

The race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has become one of the clearest tests of the party’s direction, with Israel, campaign spending and the rise of anti-establishment progressives now at the center of the contest.

Fighting for Michigan PAC told Axios it will fund a “multimillion-dollar independent expenditure campaign” to support El-Sayed, who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and has become one of the most prominent anti-Israel progressives running for a Senate nomination this year. The group said the campaign will include direct mail, digital ads and organizing efforts.

The move comes as AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, has entered the race on behalf of Stevens, a moderate Democrat who is seen by party figures as one of the most electable contenders in the general election. Jewish Insider reported that the pro-Israel super PAC launched an initial $2 million ad buy backing Stevens.

AIPAC is the most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States, and its involvement in Democratic primaries has become a major point of conflict between pro-Israel Democrats and the party’s progressive wing. Stevens has described herself as a “very passionate Zionist” and has drawn support from groups that view her as a reliable pro-Israel voice.

El-Sayed has taken a sharply different line. At a recent Democratic forum, he called for the U.S. to “stop sending foreign aid to foreign militaries,” and Bridge Michigan reported that he was the only candidate at the forum who did not directly endorse a two-state solution. In a CNN appearance, he said, “Hamas: Evil, Israeli government: Evil. We can say both.”

The new pro-El-Sayed super PAC includes several progressive groups, among them National Nurses United, Common Defense Action Fund, the Working Families Party and American Priorities. Connor Farrell, a progressive strategist helping lead the group, framed the spending effort as a response to outside money aimed at stopping El-Sayed.

“We know big-money groups representing the Israel lobby, corporate interests and AI billionaires are going to spend heavily against Abdul in the coming days,” Farrell said.

AIPAC responded in a post on X, rejecting the progressive criticism.

“They don’t oppose money in politics,” the group wrote. “They oppose money in politics from certain Americans.”

The Michigan race has drawn growing national attention after Graham Platner, another anti-establishment progressive, won the Democratic Senate primary in Maine despite controversy over a Nazi-linked tattoo and accusations of antisemitism. Axios described El-Sayed as the next Sanders-backed progressive with a serious chance of winning a Senate nomination.

Recent polls show El-Sayed and Stevens leading the Democratic primary field, with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow also running. Fighting for Michigan PAC released an internal poll this week showing El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers in a potential general election matchup.

The primary is scheduled for August 4. Its outcome will help determine not only the Democratic nominee for a key open Senate seat, but also whether the party’s anti-Israel progressive wing can turn anger at AIPAC and U.S. support for Israel into another major electoral victory.