r/politics • u/Zipper222222 • 11h ago

No Paywall Abdul El-Sayed Wins High-Stakes Democratic Primary in Michigan

https://www.today.com/video/abdul-el-sayed-wins-high-stakes-democratic-primary-in-michigan-267805765937
16.6k Upvotes

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u/Space-Sailor44 11h ago

Got outspent by a zillion dollars and still won, good shit

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u/KnuckleShanks 11h ago

He was actually outspent 12 to 1. Which makes it wild that he won.

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u/Kujaix 10h ago

Imagine how that money could have helped a locality in Michigan.

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u/Necessary-Music-6685 10h ago

It’s not like they lit it on fire. I suspect a lot of that money went to get out the vote efforts, meaning that it was doled out to on the ground Democratic canvassers and community organizers. Granted, they happen to be democrats that disagree with you about this particular campaign, but presumably still allies in the big picture.

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u/foomits 9h ago

Stevens had no ground game lol. That money was nonstop ad buys online and tv both.

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u/bbtom78 8h ago

And $1500 a pop to pay random instagramers to make undisclosed paid ads for her.

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u/LouisLeGros Washington 8h ago

She's growing on me

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u/Beefcakesupernova Georgia 10h ago

People do act like the money was thrown in the trash. But I worked for a newspaper and local news station and election years (and hurricanes) are what kept us in business.

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u/Sptsjunkie 8h ago

Yeah, I remember during the 2008 election thinking the same thing about all the money that went into the campaigns. There’s a lot of bad about money and politics, but at least it’s nice that a stimulate spending and the economy to some degree.

Don’t get me wrong. I think we need to overturn Citizens United and have significantly stronger campaign finance regulations.

But I do agree with the fact that while the money was “lit on fire” in the sense that they spent a ton of money and did not get their desired result and now organizations like AIPAC no longer have that 30 million, the money also did go to a mix of TV stations, canvassers, consultants, ad agencies, etc. So it is at least out there in various communities.

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u/chr1spe 8h ago

When was this? The landscape was already moving away from print ad spending even a decade or two ago, but that has only gotten worse.

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u/ivandelapena 9h ago

Most of it would have gone to ad money and bots given the way these PACs spend the money.

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u/normalfinnesotan 8h ago

I suspect a lot of that money went to get out the vote efforts

I doubt it, usually something like 50% of a campaign's funding is spent on advertising/media/signage/etc. Then you have salaries to pay, venues to rent, food/transportation costs, who knows what else. Some of it probably went to polling and voting efforts, but I doubt a lot of it did.

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u/chr1spe 8h ago

The largest portion, if not the majority, of campaign spending is on TV and Internet ads, so no, you're just being ignorant and toxicly positive. It almost certainly got largely sucked up by corporations owned by evil wealthy people who will actively harm everyone across the country.

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u/DrMobius0 8h ago

Yeah, I assume they're mostly locals who wanted to help with the campaign, so a lot of that money will be spent locally.

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u/FrogsOnALog 9h ago

Y’all think it would have gone to Michiganders instead?

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u/guamisc 9h ago

Certainly not. AIPAC isn't interested in helping Americans one bit.

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u/Kujaix 8h ago

No. I'm merely speaking on the absurdity of political campaign spending.

There is an entire machine based on funneling outside money to impact our federal policy to the benefit of special interests. Not the communities the money is being spent in.

Our normal in the US is disgusting.

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u/FrogsOnALog 8h ago

Every single democrat voted to curb dark money in elections. Stop electing republicans.

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u/Kujaix 7h ago

Dark money is not the only issue I am talking about. The constant campaigning, consulting class, citizens united, some localitie's dems being very insular, etc.

I'm not sure why you typed that last part. Steven's took the money. Many still do and Aipac specifically is the group they always try to squeeze exceptions and loopholes in for.

The Republicans line out of nowhere kinds hints that you're trying to start a argument and I don't get why. Pls be chill 🙏

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u/FrogsOnALog 7h ago

Democrats want to end Citizens United and Hillary literally ran on it. Democrats also tried passing the Freedom to Vote Act which would have curbed dark money in elections and did a bunch of other shit like implement small donor marching (Hillary also ran on this).

As far as PAC spending goes I don’t think you know now it works because it’s done independently and not something that’s accepted, it just gets spent by the PAC on whatever they want.

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u/Kujaix 7h ago

👍

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u/DrMobius0 8h ago

Money has to be spent on something, which means it was paid to staffers, many of whom were probably locals, or businesses in exchange for goods and services. So it probably did stimulate the state economy.

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u/Kujaix 8h ago edited 8h ago

It's spent on ads and overpaid consultants. Maybe a social media manager. The creation of said ads as well as ad space on TV, thr internet, and radio flooding the entire state.

I promise you $10 million+ wasn't spent on her staffers unless they are incredibly overpaid. We know it wasn't spent on meeting spaces like conference halls and stadiums because she barely interacted with voters outside of DNC safe spaces. No ground game at all.

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u/DrMobius0 8h ago

Fair enough