Michigan Senator-Elect Abdul El-Sayed Launches Habibi PAC

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has registered a leadership political action committee named Habibi PAC, according to filings published by the Federal Election Commission. The move comes shortly after El-Sayed was elected as the first Muslim member of the United States Senate.

Leadership political action committees operate separately from a candidate's primary campaign organization and allow lawmakers to donate funds to other candidates, party committees, and leadership races. According to the research organisation OpenSecrets, ambitious lawmakers routinely use these committees to gain influence with colleagues and support bids for leadership posts or committee chairmanships.

The name of the committee derives from an Arabic term of endearment meaning my dear or my beloved. El-Sayed used the word frequently during his campaign, including in his victory speech in Detroit when addressing Vice President JD Vance regarding the constitutional requirement for the vice president to swear in new senators in January.

Federal Election Commission filings show that several other newly elected Democratic lawmakers have also registered leadership committees following the vote. These include Arizona Congressman-elect Amish Shah's PACStreet Boy, Iowa Senator-elect Josh Turek's WheelPAC, and North Carolina Senator-elect Roy Cooper's One NC PAC. OpenSecrets data indicates that leadership committees distributed $79.3 million to federal candidates during the 2024 election cycle, with the majority of those funds going to Republican candidates, though a Democratic leadership committee was the largest single donor.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, won the election in Michigan after defeating Republican opponent Mike Rogers. During the campaign, prominent Republicans including Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Senator Ted Cruz questioned El-Sayed's loyalty and sought to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, claims made without providing evidence.

Speaking to reporters at a campaign rally in Wyandotte before the vote, El-Sayed stated that federal tax dollars should be spent on domestic needs rather than funding foreign governments accused of genocide or apartheid. Campaign finance reform was a main pledge during his run, and in his post-election speech he said the outcome showed voters could prevail against financial resources.

The registration of the new political action committees comes during the most expensive midterm election cycle recorded in the United States. OpenSecrets estimates total midterm spending will reach $11.9 billion, up from $8.9 billion in 2022, with outside spending by super PACs projected at $3.9 billion. Undisclosed donor spending reached at least $1.47 billion, while conservative groups outspent liberal groups on outside spending by approximately $360 million, and Democratic candidates were expected to outspend Republican candidates overall by roughly $800 million.

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com