Bernie Sanders donated $1 million to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate campaign on Wednesday after learning the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC planned to spend up to $9 million to defeat the Democratic nominee. Sanders immediately called other progressive allies, urging them to contribute. By day's end, he had collected $300,000 in pledges from Senators Martin Heinrich, Tina Smith, Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley.
Sanders, 85, called the AIPAC spending "outrageous" and a threat to democracy. He had previously given $250,000 to the joint campaign fund in October. The New York Times reported AIPAC was making a rare investment in a Republican general election race, supporting Mike Rogers, who accepted the help in a debate.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also donated $1 million to El-Sayed last week. Sanders has long fought AIPAC, calling the 2022 midterms a "war for the future of the Democratic Party." AIPAC responded sarcastically to Sanders’s claim that it causes wars, saying "AIPAC is why your fantasy football team stinks." Sanders stood by his comment, citing American opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government. On Wednesday, El-Sayed called Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal for support.
Jayapal’s PAC had given $350,000 in the primary and she urged retiring Senator Gary Peters to contribute $1 million from his $7 or $8 million bank account.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing