LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed wants to get money out of politics. Apparently, that doesn’t mean getting money out of his own campaign.
The self-proclaimed campaign finance reformer just shattered Michigan fundraising records, hauling in a staggering $30.7 million in a single quarter, according to Bridge Michigan. That’s more than triple the $9.7 million raised by Republican opponent Mike Rogers.
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To be fair, El-Sayed’s “money out of politics” message isn’t about eliminating campaign donations altogether. According to his campaign website, his focus is on keeping corporate and special-interest money out of elections.
But like most Democrats, El-Sayed seems to have strong opinions about who should be allowed to donate to political campaigns and where that money should come from.
For months, El-Sayed has been criticizing where Republican Mike Rogers gets his campaign contributions, including what he calls “corporate” money and money from donors with ties to Israel. But what about the millions flowing into El-Sayed’s own campaign?
Michigan Race, Nationwide Wallets
Of the nearly 55,000 donors who gave El-Sayed less than $200 during the third quarter of 2026 but more than $200 over the entire election cycle, only about 22,000 – or 40% – listed Michigan addresses. The remaining 60% came from outside the state. Together, these donors contributed approximately $2.5 million to his campaign.
But that’s only part of the fundraising picture. El-Sayed’s campaign also collected approximately $11.2 million during the election cycle from donors whose total contributions were less than $200, meaning their identities generally aren’t required to be publicly disclosed. So while El-Sayed campaigns against big money’s influence in politics, he’s enjoying a record-breaking fundraising bonanza of his own – including millions from small-dollar donors whose names and addresses aren’t available for public scrutiny.
And while El-Sayed repeatedly talks about rejecting corporate PAC contributions, he still accepts money from labor union PACs and left-leaning political organizations like the United Auto Workers, MoveOn.org and Progressive Voters of America.
ActBlue’s Baggage Comes Along
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Then there’s ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising platform used by El-Sayed’s campaign. The platform has faced congressional and federal scrutiny over allegations involving inadequate donor verification, potentially fraudulent contributions and possible foreign money entering American elections.
ActBlue disputes allegations of wrongdoing and has defended its donor verification procedures. The investigations do not establish that El-Sayed received illegal contributions. Still, questions surrounding the platform aren’t exactly a glowing endorsement of political transparency.
Money Talks – Even When You’re Against It
While El-Sayed continues to campaign against the influence of big donors and special interests, his record-breaking fundraising shows that he has no problem raising substantial amounts of money for his own campaign. The distinction appears to be less about how much money is involved in politics and more about where that money comes from and who is contributing it.
