Michigan's open seat is shaping up to be one of the most-expensive Senate races in history. The contest between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers has seen PACs and super PACs pour millions of dollars into a race that has become a major battleground for both parties. A review of federal records by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit news organization, found more than $205 million in disclosed spending in the race.
The spending has drawn national attention as Democrats see the seat as key to regaining control of the chamber, while Republicans are looking to flip a seat they have not won in more than 30 years. More recently, the focus has turned to where the money is coming from, with both candidates pointing to two names in particular: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and George Soros. But the federal filings tell a more-complicated story.
United Democracy Project, AIPAC's super PAC, spent about $30.6 million in the Democratic primary, according to Federal Election Commission data reviewed by Newsweek. Roughly $10.5 million supported Haley Stevens, a pro-Israel Democratic representative from Michigan. About $20.1 million paid for ads opposing El-Sayed.
It was the most the group had ever spent on a single race. Its previous high was about $14.5 million, spent in 2024 to unseat Jamaal Bowman, then a Democratic representative from New York. But Michigan went the other way.
El-Sayed, a critic of Israel's actions in Gaza who has described them as genocide, won the primary anyway. He defeated Stevens on August 4 by about one point, 48.5 percent to 47.5 percent, a margin of roughly 15,000 votes out of nearly 1.5 million cast. "Our members remain determined to ensure that voters reject Dr.
El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November," Deryn Sousa, a spokeswoman for AIPAC, said in a statement after Stevens' defeat. In an email to members after the vote, AIPAC President Bernie Kaminetsky wrote that the group remained committed to defeating El-Sayed in November. But AIPAC's involvement in the race may have backfired, according to analysts consulted by Newsweek.
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