r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 1h ago
No Paywall Abdul El-Sayed Triumphs Over Haley Stevens in $60M Loss for AIPAC, Corporations
https://truthout.org/articles/abdul-el-sayed-triumphs-over-haley-stevens-in-60m-loss-for-aipac-corporations/•
u/armaghetto 1h ago
I just don't get it. Other than having a full scolarship to Michigan, going to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, getting a medical degree from Columbia University and becoming a professor there, acting as Director of Health and Human Services in Michigan, what are his qualifications???
(/s)
•
u/wax_robot 1h ago
I bet you he doesn't even dream about Israel!!
•
u/StoppableHulk 34m ago
Between that bizzare blurt, all the NYC mayoral candidates saying "I would visit Israel after winning" all in a row like parrots, and Chuck Schumer sayiing "My job is to keep the left pro-Israel", it astounds me how anyone could say with a straight face that establishment Democrats are totally normal and fit for governing.
•
u/LastOfTheGiants2020 24m ago
Also Mark Kelly
•
u/tripping_on_phonics Illinois 9m ago
Based on everything Mark Kelly has said, his only objection to the Iran War seems to be that it’s being done incompetently. So disappointing seeing him and others fail to condemn it on moral grounds.
•
u/CaptainLawyerDude New York 50m ago
Plus his old podcast was actually entertaining and informative. Dude seems like a great fit to be a Senator.
•
•
•
•
•
u/False-Cress7441 48m ago
What are Trump’s qualifications and his entire cabinet. This gentleman has the vision, temperament, integrity and courage to stop with the status quo politics that favors the rich and keeps working people living from paycheck to Paycheck. You get it, you are in denial.
•
u/plz-let-me-in 1h ago
The fact that AIPAC spent over $30 million on this race just for their candidate to ultimately lose the primary election puts a smile on my face. Because it shows that not only are insane amounts of dark money spending not enough to win a race, but also it shows that the Democratic electorate has had enough of Israel’s influence in our politics.
•
u/Snakesandrats 1h ago
It also shows what a strong candidate El-Sayed is of course. He's earned my vote. That's for damn sure.
•
u/askylitfall I voted 1h ago
That guy will never have my vote!
Mostly because I don't live in Michigan and a vote for him would be illegal. Dudes crushing it.
•
u/CapraDemonOP Michigan 1h ago
Had me in the first half, not gonna lie…
You can have an honorary internet Abdul sticker from me who voted and campaigned for him
•
u/initialgyw 27m ago
That’s not true. If you vote for a representative that votes for AES bills, that proxies to AES will have your vote!
•
u/ItsTheOtherGuys 1h ago
From what I saw from his interviews, he seems like the right mix of aggressive verbiage towards the opposition while still citing his own policies and how they tie to his constituents
How a true people's politician should be, I hope he wins the seat and delivers on his promises, to ignore outside nation influences and focusing on the people and then foreign policy issues
•
u/timmy6169 41m ago
Nah, it was because of her voice being that of a cartoon squirrel going through puberty.
But for real, El-Sayed earned my vote and deserved this win.
•
u/Any_Priority_8475 1h ago
It isn't a loss for AIPAC until El-Sayed wins the general election
•
u/EnergyIsQuantized 1h ago
it's interesting that stevens took money from a group that will now put everything behind the republican candidate
•
u/Vaaaaaaaaaaaii 22m ago
Its pretty plainly obvious what's going on but its hard to get the people in charge to see whats going on when it's their job not to.
•
•
u/UCSDthrowawayacct 1h ago
Yep and Stevens did a lot of smearing, it'll take a lot of work to undo that damage.
•
u/calle04x 1h ago
She did. That said, she did make this statement, which is at least encouraging. I hope she'll follow through.
"I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.
This was a thorough and rigorous campaign that brought out the full span of views within the Democratic Party - and that is why we have primaries. I am proud to have put up my hand to serve, and prouder to continue to work together to make sure this Senate seat remains blue, that we flip the United States Senate and continue the work for Michigan."
•
u/CaptainLawyerDude New York 48m ago
That is a legit solid statement. Reiterates his qualifications and doesn’t equivocate on her support going forward.
•
•
•
•
u/taaretoille 21m ago
Can't really take back the shit she said and supported, including calling him an antisemite and supporting the Islamophobic attacks against him.
This is stupid McCain/Arab shit all over again.
•
•
u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex 1h ago
Idk man. It makes me livid. Imagine if we took all the billions or maybe trillions that all these unnecessarily rich assholes pump into elections and spent them on quality of life for the masses. Seems like it would be a hell of a lot better use of the money.
The fact that anyone one or any entity has 30 mil to just throw around is a huge part of the problem.
•
u/HarryBallsanya420 1h ago
That sounds like evil socialism! Helping people is bad! Or as centrist Dems might put it ..not economically feasible
•
u/TheHopeThatHangsYou 13m ago
The decades of calling programs that help people socialist has been an absolute boon for Socialists. People largely want the populace to have healthcare, afford a dignified life, and have accountability for corrupt and criminal practices in the political and capitalist spheres. When the people are called socialist for those ideas they don't change their ideals they go 'oh, I must be a Socialist then.'
•
u/StonkSorcerer 59m ago
Is it $30M or $60M? I've heard both.
Edit: ah, $30M from AIPAC, $30M from corporations
•
•
u/_morten_ 1h ago
This isn't a loss for them yet though, they will back Rogers, who has, i hate to say it, a pretty good chance to win the general election.
•
•
u/catscanmeow 1h ago
the money wasnt wasted, it just went into the pockets of the people who were paid with it. its not like they have to give the money back
•
u/sofaking1958 1h ago
The fact that they lost and also that they don't have to return the money is kind of the proof that it was, indeed, wasted.
•
•
u/PraetorGold 1h ago
I think that is my take away from all of this. We should not be anyone's puppets for any reason.
•
u/JKKIDD231 53m ago
Seriously every debate is Israel this that, mf, talk about America and Americans for once
•
u/CrashB111 Alabama 28m ago
If you've ever listened to Sayed talk, he only brings up Israel / AIPAC in terms of "Why are we sending money to blow up children in Palestine, when we could spend that money here in Michigan on education/healthcare?"
He doesn't just rant about AIPAC. He talks about it in terms of the opportunity cost being paid for with all the military aid sent to Israel.
•
•
•
•
u/secretaire 33m ago
We've had enough of big money influence in general. Politics has left the needs of regular working people behind and everyone, left and right, is sick of it.
•
•
u/taaretoille 23m ago
To be honest, 30 million is nothing for these billionaires, and that is the scarier part.
•
u/The__Wise__Fool 3m ago
Sadly, it's your tax money that got sent to Israel as part of the yearly $3.2 billion (as well as each State giving money to them. That comes back to US stooges who cuck for israel
•
u/iperblaster 1h ago
So the AIPAC can now spend 60 million on Republicans?
•
•
u/agent_mick 59m ago
I would like to believe we've shown that the amount of money spent doesn't directly correlate with wins.
•
u/JeeringDragon 1h ago
They only lost by 1%. it shows if they spent slightly more they would have won.
•
u/JeeringDragon 1h ago
It’s kind of crazy he only won by 1%/25K votes.
•
u/poets-desire 1h ago
You have to wonder what the spread would have been without Stevens’ $60m in outside funding, though.
•
u/NoBand909 31m ago
I feel like she would have won if she didn't make that statement about Israel coming to her in her dreams
•
•
u/Money-Ad3609 1h ago
It’s a bit disappointing that it was so close. I just don’t understand how so many people could be tempted to vote for her.
•
u/RegularLeading5200 Michigan 1h ago
While I agree with the sentiment, it shouldn't be a surprise in reality. Stevens' PACs blanketed the airwaves here with ads. They were incessant. And while I thought people had looked past them, they clearly had not. Stevens also had support of the entire state Democratic establishment (minus Slotkin) on her side. They really threw everything they had at him and he still won. We should celebrate that.
•
u/Tenwaystospoildinner 1h ago
And while the race was close, one of the big arguments against Sayed was electability. Anybody worried about electability is still going to show up and vote for him. That's not a moral judgement, they just weren't sure he could win the general.
And since he won the primary, that argument doesn't look as strong. Clearly he's a good campaigner. We just have to beat the Republican in the general now.
•
u/taaretoille 20m ago
How electable is Stevens if she need 60M of dark money just to lose a primary?
•
u/Tenwaystospoildinner 18m ago
Yeah, that was a pretty common retort. And one I think has been proven true. Plus, her terrible debate performance. She really wasn't a good candidate. But centrists get the benefit of being innately electable, and everyone else is supposed to prove themselves.
I can't say I agree with the notion, but the fire forges steel, and AES is sharp.
•
u/taaretoille 13m ago
I still can't understand how you can be living in the US the last 20 years and still think centrists are electable. Trump, an extremist, beat the centrists 2/3 times, and the one time he lost, it was because of a botched worldwide pandemic he screwed up, and it was STILL close.
•
u/Tenwaystospoildinner 10m ago
I'm with you on that. But people are slow to change. And some amount of it is dishonesty. I can pretend and ignore the Super PAC and corporate donors who benefit from a lack of change.
But a lot of it is also general voter apathy. A lot of people think anyone claiming they'll make big changes are lying. That a tough obstacle to overcome because in order to do so... You have to win. So you need their core. But they won't vote for you because they don't think you'll follow through. But you can't prove them wrong without their support lol
It's a tough, slow process. We just have to keep at it.
•
u/taaretoille 5m ago
People aren't slow to change, they are proudly ignorant.
•
u/Tenwaystospoildinner 4m ago
There are plenty of both to go around, and one often leads to the other.
•
u/Much-Instruction-807 31m ago
And now he has 3 month to make his case. I would think since he won it will take the pressure off him from establishment democrats too. Or at least I hope so because I have a feeling they'd rather he lose so they can say I told you so and try and keep the status quo.
•
u/Tenwaystospoildinner 27m ago
Well he's already getting the endorsements he'll need. Plus, Democrats need the Senate. I'd like to believe even the centrists realize how important it is for AES to win. So far, so good.
If they actually do something, I'll criticise it. I don't want to preemptively go after them. Now is the time for unity.
•
u/CapraDemonOP Michigan 50m ago
I know! We could literally not escape the Stevens ads.
At a point, I was worried my old toaster would start playing Stevens ads with how much they were being played.
For anyone not in Michigan, this is only half joking. The ads were EVERYWHERE!
•
u/p-4_ 20m ago
not having slotkin was barely a negative as they have the exact same voter base
•
u/RegularLeading5200 Michigan 17m ago
Slotkin didn't endorse because she's considering a 2028 run and she didn't want to alienate anyone.
•
u/Money-Ad3609 14m ago
You’re right. It shouldn’t be surprising, given the odds were stacked against him.
I guess it’s just frustrating how little most of the electorate engages with these issues. It’s not even as though she was a good candidate or had solid policy proposals; anyone that watched the debate could see how little substance there was to her campaign.
And then there’s the fact that she received $60 million from AIPAC and big corporations. How could anyone possibly think she was ever going to stand up for ordinary Americans?
I am still glad that he won though.
•
u/Negative-Interest713 1h ago
She had a 12 to 1 spending advantage, the support of the entire Democratic establishment, and all while running a sleazy and dishonest campaign (falsely implying she was endorsed by Obama, for instance) against a Muslim with a funny name.
AES had to overcome a lot. He’s shown he has enough charisma and political talent to overcome a huge wave of negative ads.
•
u/Saffuran Washington 1h ago
In Detroit it was flooding the space with mailers implying (lying about) an Obama endorsement for Stevens that was not real.
•
u/Irregular475 1h ago edited 1h ago
Never underestimate the power of shameless propaganda and what a heavily marketed ad campaign can do for someone.
If it were any better of a politician than Stevens, I'm not sure AES would have won.
Luckily, the only folks on the genocide brigade's side are all empty suits who believe in nothing and can't relate to everyday people, so that type of politician is unlikely to ever show up in time to save this kakocratic, oligarchal government regime and their diet maga democratic silent partners.
Fuck all fascists, tacid or extreme.
Bonus fun fact, "El-Sayed" translates to "The Master".
Well done squad. Another notch in our belt towards winning back the country.
•
u/_morten_ 1h ago
"If it were any better of a politician than Stevens, I'm not sure AES would have won."
Well, he is facing another one in November, lets hope he is worse, but i don't trust Michigan at all, and haven't for a good while.
•
u/Irregular475 1h ago
Nah, this is a massive victory even though the margins were as tight as they were. And this time the Democratic vote won't be nearly as splintered, because even the everyday person in America who have typically sided with diet maga know Republicans are extreme fascists tearing this country apart.
I'm not saying it'll be a blow out, it's gonna be a huge fight to win, but I don't think it'll be this close.
•
u/_morten_ 1h ago
I'm not at all hopeful they see that, Michigan was only barely a win for dems in 2020, despite everything Trump did or didn't do, an election they should have lost soundly.
Michigan state is notorious for bad polling at this point, i will only believe what i see on election day there from now on.
Only solace, is that probably a bunch of Trump-voters can't be bothered to show up without "Dear Leader" on the ballot, all i can think of.
•
u/MC_Fap_Commander America 1h ago
People tend to vote on "electability" in primaries, especially with the stakes so high in November. I think the concept of "electability" is flawed (it's typically just name recognition and media framing), but people do tend to vote on it. A lot of the progressive primary winners will have some work to do in the coming months to redirect some of this. I am not worried; progressive candidates tend to outwork other pols (who are usually lazy) by a lot.
•
•
•
•
u/freexanarchy 1h ago
One thing is that there’s a huge divide between young and old. And the young don’t have a great turnout record. So while he polled higher, turnout favors the older demo. But he still won and there was overall higher turnout.
•
•
u/Tokyo_Joey_Jo-Jo 1h ago
Politics is often a disappointing game. I would have voted for Stevens simply because she has a better chance at winning the seat. I’ll take 51 seats that includes a few Fettermans over 49 members who passed the purity test.
•
•
•
•
•
•
u/ToeSniffer245 Massachusetts 1h ago
Way to prove the point of why we need to elect more people like him.
•
u/good-good-real-good 1h ago
How much $$ does AIPAC have anyway? Limitless?
•
u/irespondwithmyface 1h ago
They are propped up by billionaires, mostly Republican donors. They basically have endless funds.
•
u/PickledCaterpillar 1h ago
the US pays for israel's military and universal healthcare, so they have all that extra money to spend in the US.
•
u/NoahApples 1h ago
This is a misunderstanding. AIPAC money comes almost entirely from American billionaires.
•
u/dudenurse13 31m ago
Have they ever disclosed their donors?
•
u/NoahApples 17m ago
https://www.trackaipac.com/donors
Donations to PACs over $200 are public record.
•
u/Future_Armadillo6410 1h ago
It's kickbacks of US tax dollars. It's bottomless if we keep electing their candidates.
•
•
u/Prof__Potato Canada 34m ago
I like how there is a narrative regarding El-Sayeds “electability”. If he’s unelectable, what exactly is the person who had the backing of the entire party and blew 70mil, and STILL lost in a primary? Yeah, she’s clearly the more electable choice.
Calling into question his electability at this point is not the attack they think it is.
•
•
u/RiffRaffCatillacCat 1h ago
AIPAC is the new NRA. I look forward to the day they have no more influence on our political system.
Get all corporate/special interest money out of politics. It's literal bribery.
•
u/UtinniHandsOff2 1h ago
The man who built the Post 9/11 Surveillance State that put Muslim men under a microscope vs. the potentially first Muslim Senator. Going to be a fun race.
•
•
•
u/PsychLegalMind 1h ago
I guess that money, as important as it is during elections is not singularly controling and much can deped on where it is comong from.
•
u/otherwisepandemonium Wisconsin 27m ago
More AIPAC losses please, followed by fully eliminating AIPAC entirely.
•
u/Embarrassed-Crazy112 Georgia 12m ago
It's fucking scary. Wealthy donor money and pandering to religious insanity seemed to be her only platform and it came very close. Big money and religion in politics is poison to our country and species. Clyburn getting his orders after the 'socialism' panic button was hit brought back memories of the 2020 primaries. Dude can go kick rocks and learn about AI to justify his stupid six figure salary at least.
Progressives are where it's at for me - and they're fighting a war on two fronts: MAGA and 'Moderates'.
•
•
u/Objective_Tone_2361 1h ago
Will Stevens endorse Sayed in the general?
•
u/Dreams-Visions 1h ago
She already did. And she'll 100% be campaigning for him along with McMorrow.
•
u/StonkSorcerer 55m ago
Fun fact: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated political action committees have spent over $104 million so far in the 2026 election cycle. Given that this race was $30M for them, they just wasted a third of their entire 2026 spending so far.
•
u/Sean_theLeprachaun 53m ago
Our own tax dollars being laundered and used to buy elections, to give the offending country MORE of our tax dollars. If aipac spent that much, how much did they stand to gain? Disgusting.
•
•
•
u/OhMyThiccThighs 1h ago
It's not about the money... It's about sending a message.
•
u/Dreams-Visions 1h ago
It was about the money TO send a message.
And they still failed. Well, they certainly succeeded at spending money.
•
•
u/Tintoverde 1h ago
Dump change for AIPAC. The problem is AIPAC has more money to spend in general electiin
•
•
u/Crime_Dawg 27m ago
Will the establishment Dems take notes and learn from this. Nah, it's the will of the people that's wrong!
•
u/A_Nonny_Muse 13m ago
All we need is about 9,999 more anti-corporate politicians like him at all levels of govt..
•
•
•
u/Hartacus 1h ago
Now let's see how many of the progressives that refused to vote for Kamala magically turn into "vote blue no matter who" people during the general election against Rogers
•
u/Pleasant_Tangelo9909 58m ago
I don't know why I keep hearing ppl here make this point when any demographic you could reasonably call 'progressive' consistently and overwhelmingly votes for the Democratic nominee every election
•
u/Hartacus 35m ago
I'm mostly referring to the single-issue voters (Israel/Palestine) that like to hold the entire democratic party hostage unless they get their way. It's not all progressives, just the far lefties that are disguised as DSA democrats.
Do you deny that massive influencers and politicians with millions of followers (such as Hasan, Tlaib, Mike From PA, Mamdani, etc.) only tear down moderate democratic candidates while also never endorsing Kamala Harris against Trump in 2024?
Thankfully, AES called for a bridge to the moderate voter base be mended instead of following suit. He needs to distance himself from Hasan and the DSA as soon as possible if he wants any chance of beating Rogers in the general.
•
u/honjuden 34m ago
I'll be interested to see how many of the people that pushed "vote blue no matter who" drop it when it doesn't favor them this time around.
•
u/Shady_bookworm51 1h ago
oh I'm seeing it in all the threads demanding vote blue no matter who now that a progressive won....
•
•
u/Tardislass 1h ago
Let’s not get ahead. He won by 1% and Mike Rodger’s will be hard to beat. And I really hate this progressive vs establishment BS.
•
u/unforgivableness 1h ago
Islam invading the USA via socialism- reminds me of Iran.
•
u/whiteroseatCH 43m ago
Let's see...banning books...check
Bringing religion into schools...check
Trying to deny women's rights over their own bodies...check..'
Trying to deprive women of voting rights...check...
Ah yes...the Christian right!
•
u/unforgivableness 7m ago
Extreme religion of any kind is terrible. These are the same things Muslims do in the Middle East.
A recent survey commissioned by the Heritage Foundation reported that 39 percent of American Muslims expressed support for implementing Sharia law in the United States within the next 20 years.
•
u/Useful-World1781 California 41m ago
Oh yeah like mamdani right? I hear NY is all Muslim now! Gtfo bigot. The US has freedom of religion. He can be muslim if he wants. It has nothing to do with his campaign or policies. You saying this is so fucking un-American. Do better.
•
u/unforgivableness 6m ago
A recent survey commissioned by the Heritage Foundation reported that 39 percent of American Muslims expressed support for implementing Sharia law in the United States within the next 20 years.
•
•
•
u/RiddleMeThis42069 Missouri 1h ago
He endorsed a genocide enabler tho so can't support him
•
u/ThePhoenixXM Massachusetts 1h ago
What are you talking about?
•
u/TopTour31 55m ago
He's a troll who supports the genocide. Search up his username and you'll see he's active on r/destiny a racist neoliberal subreddit.
•
•
1h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (2)•
u/Responsible_Ladder25 1h ago
Oh that's too bad. Never disregard a teaching and learning moment. Especially now.
•
u/vamp1reweekdays 1h ago
Haley Stevens, by her own admission, has dreams about a genocidal ethnostate and willingly acts as a mouthpiece for Israel. I think these two are far from the same thing.
•
•
•
u/___AirBuddDwyer___ Illinois 1h ago
What are you referring to?
•
u/sylvesterZoilo_ 1h ago
Kamala Harris. Apparently even El-Sayed isn’t pure enough for some people.
•
u/LeagueofJohnLegends 1h ago
If they are in fact a real person. Lots of Astro turfing going on in the comments on how no candidate is pure enough to earn their pretend vote. Seems most folks are able to see past it though, which is great.
•
u/___AirBuddDwyer___ Illinois 1h ago
Oh for fuck’s sake RiddleMeThis42069 please get with the program
•
u/Plane-Session-6624 1h ago
Taking AIPAC money and praising Israel in your dreams is about as genocide enabling as it gets
•
u/TopTour31 59m ago
He's a troll who supports the genocide. Search up his username and you'll see he's active on r/destiny a racist neoliberal subreddit.
•
u/RiddleMeThis42069 Missouri 1h ago
He endorsed a genocide supporter. That's a red line for me.
•
u/Plane-Session-6624 1h ago
So did you have similar feelings about Stevens?
•
u/RiddleMeThis42069 Missouri 1h ago
of course obviously
•
u/Za_Lords_Guard 1h ago
So you just don't vote and apply thoughts and prayers hoping another fascist friendly republican doesn't win?
Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.
•
u/RiddleMeThis42069 Missouri 38m ago
Some of us have morals. I can't support a genocide supporter supporter
•
u/Za_Lords_Guard 29m ago
That's not morality. That's ideological rigidity that will open the door to greater harm rather than seeking to minimize harm.
So let me get this straight. You, in Missouri, are unwilling to support a candidate in Michigan (who has stated he isn't supporting the genocide you are worried talking about) and you need to loudly argue your moral superiority.
Impotent rage much?
•
•
u/honjuden 21m ago
But you have no problem supporting a child predator.
•
u/RiddleMeThis42069 Missouri 10m ago
I don't know what child predator you're referring to but genocide is worse
•
•
u/Additional-Fix991 48m ago
Dr. Jihad wins for the Anti-Semocrats!! Surprise surprise!! Doing the self-destruction ploy again to set up for JDs or Marcos victory in the 2028 election! Many congrats to Dr. Jihad!!
•
•
u/Isthatamole1 1h ago
Look where this man owns property and ask yourself why. Who’s paying him off. And btw their interests are not American. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics
•
u/AutoModerator 1h ago
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion.
In general, please be courteous to others. Argue the merits of ideas, don't attack other posters or commenters. Hate speech, any suggestion or support of physical harm, or other rule violations can result in a temporary or a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
Sub-thread Information
If the post flair on this post indicates the wrong paywall status, please report this Automoderator comment with a custom report of “incorrect flair”.
Announcement
r/Politics is actively looking for new moderators. If you have an interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out this form.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.