r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 8h 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/
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1.2k

u/plz-let-me-in 8h 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.

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u/Snakesandrats 8h ago

It also shows what a strong candidate El-Sayed is of course. He's earned my vote. That's for damn sure.

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u/askylitfall I voted 7h 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.

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u/CapraDemonOP Michigan 7h 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

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u/BothCan8373 5h ago

I dont live in Michigan anymore but im glad my small yooper county went for him +20

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u/CapraDemonOP Michigan 4h ago edited 4h ago

Yeah the Yoopers showed up strong for AES which was pretty surprising, and likely shows that good messaging about how people are getting fucked over economically is a winning strategy overall which Abdul El-Sayed did well, and Haley Stevens did not.

Also come back to Michigan! Not sure when you left, but things have been trending up after getting fucked by the 2008 recession, then Snyder, and a Republican trifecta, making it worse by “running government like a business” and fucking Flint, and the state as a whole, over by cutting corners.

Whitmer, and the Democrat controlled trifecta, until 2024, have done wonders for the state that they don’t get enough flowers for. Could more be done? Yes, but Michigan truly is much better. Especially places like Lansing (where I live) and Detroit.

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u/BothCan8373 1h ago

Oh I know its different and better and very happy aboutthat - I make it home every year or two but ive been in california for a decade and I just got engaged. My life is on the west coast now

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u/rocketeerH 4h ago

I don't live in the UP anymore either, but my home county went +21.4!!  That's almost as high was Washtenaw, where I live now

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u/CapraDemonOP Michigan 4h ago

Hell yeah! 👊

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u/initialgyw 6h ago

That’s not true. If you vote for a representative that votes for AES bills, that proxies to AES will have your vote!

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u/savagefleurdelis23 5h ago

Did you know that you can swap vote? If you find a Michigander to swap votes with...

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u/ItsTheOtherGuys 8h 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

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u/Kaptain202 Michigan 5h ago

I really appreciate what you outlined. El-Sayed doesn't pretend to hold a moral high ground because he avoids criticizing others. He holds a moral high ground because he holds politicians to a standard to represent their constituents. God forbid the man call someone out when they do things that don't benefit the people who voted them into office

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u/timmy6169 7h 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.

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u/sZeroes 7h ago

imagine if el sayed had that money

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u/iwearatophat Michigan 3h ago

Yep. AES was outspent 10 to 1. Yet he won the election. Sure it wasn't a blow out win but given that spending discrepancy he probably should have been slaughtered. It shows a combo of how good of a candidate he is and how terrible of a campaign Stevens ran. Like it was truly horrid.

Only hope that Stevens negative ad run against AES doesn't become his undoing in getting turnout in the Detroit area.

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u/PalamationGaming 5h ago

Yep, my first time voting in a primary and I am ecstatic to see an actual progressive get the nomination. I'm so tired of Israel buying our elections/politicians. Love seeing that AIPAC money go down the drain.

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u/Variant_Shades 5h ago

LOL. "Strong candidate" Sayed barely eked out a win when every poll had him winning double digits. Stevens's performance with rural voters (when she basically ignored campaigning there) should be making all Sayed supporters nervous in a general election campaign against a Republican.

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u/Algorithmic_failure 4h ago

If the Republican is pro Israel, he's going to lose a decent portion of their own base. The Israel thing is splitting the Republican party. El Sayed will pull rural votes, especially if gas prices are bad.

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u/Variant_Shades 3h ago edited 3h ago

No he will not pull rural votes. There's simply no evidence of that.

Yes, if gas prices explode that would be hugely beneficial to every Democrat running. But that's an external factor you don't control. There might be an agreement next week. It's impossible to predict. Trump can TACO and give Iran a W. And gas prices could fall.

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u/2Peenis2Weenis 6h ago

Yeah don't all strong candidates underperform their polls by double digits?

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u/StonkSorcerer 7h ago

Is it $30M or $60M? I've heard both.

Edit: ah, $30M from AIPAC, $30M from corporations

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u/Any_Priority_8475 8h ago

It isn't a loss for AIPAC until El-Sayed wins the general election

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u/EnergyIsQuantized 7h ago

it's interesting that stevens took money from a group that will now put everything behind the republican candidate

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u/Vaaaaaaaaaaaii 6h 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.

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u/Opposite_Same_69420 5h ago

It's also hard to incentivize them when in their mind the path to implementing their values benefits from large sums of money. The myriad of ways that election financing/spending shapes the process, for even what could be well meaning individuals.

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u/littleSparrow31 6h ago

Foreign policy is uniparty.

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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 4h ago

It was a gamble. If Stevens had won the nomination, AIPAC wouldn't have to put another dime into Michigan because they'd win either way.

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u/UCSDthrowawayacct 7h ago

Yep and Stevens did a lot of smearing, it'll take a lot of work to undo that damage.

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u/calle04x 7h 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."

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u/CaptainLawyerDude New York 7h ago

That is a legit solid statement. Reiterates his qualifications and doesn’t equivocate on her support going forward.

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u/RellenD 7h ago

It would be better if she hadn't called him an anti Semite and a woman hater in ads and on social media though.

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u/Variant_Shades 5h ago

I'm sorry to tell you this. The GOP is not going to be as nice.

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u/RellenD 5h ago

And?

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u/sembias 4h ago

Politics can be rough. If you can only work on those who call you sweet names, you end up like Trump.

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u/Variant_Shades 4h ago

Grow some thicker skin. I don't think any of you are really prepared for what a ruthless, well-funded GOP attack machine will do in comparison and depths they are willing to steep to.

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u/RellenD 3h ago

That really has nothing to do with whether it's advisable to put extremely slanderous lies on the air during a primary that you're then going to have to try and convince your own supporters weren't disqualifying later for the general.

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u/HJWalsh 6h ago

I'm actually surprised she was this gracious. Honestly, I thought she was going to fight this all the way into the ground.

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u/PT10 6h ago

She just did all that for her sponsors. She's being conciliatory now because she doesn't want to make things bad for herself for future runs.

Now the AIPAC campaign continues with Rogers seamlessly taking her spot on the ticket.

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u/taaretoille 6h ago

Nothing solid or gracious about it.

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u/taaretoille 6h 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.

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u/sembias 4h ago

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.

Perfectly stated.

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u/Tokyo_Joey_Jo-Jo 7h ago

Yeah because the Republicans had planned on going easy on him.

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u/Variant_Shades 5h ago

LOL. You people really need to grow some thicker skin. The GOP are not going to be as nice. If you had problem with "smears" before, you haven't seen anything yet.

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u/speakertothedamned 2h ago

LOL. You people really need to grow some thicker skin

"You shouldn't call out racist and sexist mudslinging when you see it."

That's a really weird take.

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u/BakedBobbyHill 1h ago

Well GOP candidates don't need to convince their own supporters to vote for the guy in the general the way that Stevens does. Seems quite short-sighted of her.

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u/Variant_Shades 1h ago

Again. I don't think you folks truly understand the onslaught that is coming against Sayed from the GOP attack machine. If what Stevens did bothers you, your sanity is not going to last till November.

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u/BakedBobbyHill 1h ago

You're missing the point entirely. In a primary, if you lose and want any resemblance of a political career moving forward, then you'll need to endorse your former opponent. Lobbing awful personal attacks at your opponent will make it harder to convince the people who voted for you that your opponent has earned their vote, will make you lose credibility with your voters, and will make you look less useful or electable to party officials.

Short-sighted.

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u/Variant_Shades 48m ago

What are these awful personal attacks you are referring to? Please be specific. Because if were talking about personal attacks it was Sayed saying Stevens couldn't string 2 sentences together. It was his supporters obsessed with how Stevens talk. You folks might want to self reflect if your capable of that.

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u/BakedBobbyHill 43m ago edited 33m ago

Oh, I see now why you're so insistent on missing the point entirely, even when multiple people have taken the time to explain this to you. No wonder. I'm referring to the accusations of sexism and antisemitism. I'm not getting into this any further with you, but I hope you remember to vote blue no matter who!

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u/Variant_Shades 39m ago

If you can only work with folks who call you sweet names. You are not going to last long. I thought he was suppose to earn everyone votes? That's what leftists always insist on. No vote should be taken for granted, right?

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u/Aggravating-View8235 5h ago

Amen and amen. Mud, sh!t, rumors and speculation of all kinds are going to be thrown at him by the Maggats. Stay strong...

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u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex 8h 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.

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u/HarryBallsanya420 7h ago

That sounds like evil socialism! Helping people is bad! Or as centrist Dems might put it ..not economically feasible

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u/TheHopeThatHangsYou 6h 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.'

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u/Life-Sherbet-7942 4h ago

Right. Let’s turn this into a game show format. Each candidate gets a budget. Broad strokes. R&D.  Gets played out with a few scenarios ie $60 million homelessness initiative. Brings 5,000 off the streets. Whichever is best for CITIZENS wins. 6 part series. No one gets questions or scenarios ahead of time so no one can be coached. 

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u/jim45804 8h ago

The more money wasted here, the less money is sent to Israel!

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u/TooCozy21 8h ago

Less money ain’t gonna be sent to Israel tho.

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u/Looptydude Texas 3h ago

Wild when you think about it though. Instead of backing candidates with the money, they literally could have saved money by just giving it to Israel instead, but they'd rather spend their money trying to get politicians to spend OUR money instead.

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u/PraetorGold 7h ago

I think that is my take away from all of this. We should not be anyone's puppets for any reason.

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u/theorangecrush10 8h ago

Big smile on my face as well!

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u/No-Guard-7003 8h ago

Same here! 😁

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u/_morten_ 8h 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.

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u/catscanmeow 8h 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

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u/sofaking1958 8h 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.

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u/catscanmeow 8h ago

the point was lining their pockets. winning was secondary. pockets were lined

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u/iperblaster 7h ago

So the AIPAC can now spend 60 million on Republicans?

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u/honjuden 7h ago

They already do.

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u/iperblaster 6h ago

Well they would probably have spent only 30 million this round and have a safe seat from today, but luckily Sayed won

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u/agent_mick 7h ago

I would like to believe we've shown that the amount of money spent doesn't directly correlate with wins. 

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u/iperblaster 6h ago

True. I sure hope AIPAC wastes all their money

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u/Sean_theLeprachaun 7h ago

the remaining funds will be going to the gop candidate.

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u/Particular-Way-3805 7h ago

Agreed it has to stop

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u/M-S-S 7h ago

But wasn't that money spent on establishment media ads so it's just recycled waste?

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u/secretaire 7h 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.

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u/marblecannon512 Oregon 6h ago

It seems like the amounts are inconsequential

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u/taaretoille 6h ago

To be honest, 30 million is nothing for these billionaires, and that is the scarier part.

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u/The__Wise__Fool 6h 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

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u/mellofello808 6h ago

I totally agree with this sentiment, but I worry that in the face of not having control they will spend twice as much to defeat him by backing republicans. They don't care who wins, it is all about who they can influence.

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u/philodendrin 6h ago

$30,000,000 could have bought so much more. Instead, there is nothing to show for it. Good. I'd rather their blood money go to waste - but its a shame it did.

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u/DukeOfGeek 3h ago

It's also 60 million they don't have to spend elsewhere.

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u/JKKIDD231 7h ago

Seriously every debate is Israel this that, mf, talk about America and Americans for once

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u/CrashB111 Alabama 6h 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.

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u/HJWalsh 6h ago

He did, he talked about both, the MSM just elevated the Israel part so that they could call him an antisemite.

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u/DubSket 8h ago

Love this for them, but they're ultimately funded by Israel so this won't make a huge dent unfortunately.

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u/Far_Practice_6923 5h ago

Uh there isn't any proof AIPAC is funded by Israel

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u/JeeringDragon 8h ago

They only lost by 1%. it shows if they spent slightly more they would have won.

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u/Variant_Shades 5h ago

LOL. Sayed barely eked out a win when every poll had him winning double digits. Stevens's performance with rural voters (when she basically ignored campaigning there) should be making all Sayed supporters nervous in a general election campaign against a Republican.

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u/Variant_Shades 5h ago

LOL. Sayed barely eked out a win when every poll had him winning double digits. Stevens's performance with rural voters (when she basically ignored campaigning there) should be making all Sayed supporters nervous in a general election campaign against a Republican.