First Muslim US senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed launches ‘Habibi PAC’ after railing against money in politics

Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan senator-elect who campaigned on reducing the influence of money in politics, has registered a political action committee days after becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Named “Habibi PAC”, the committee was registered with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed, according to Al Jazeera. Such committees allow politicians to raise money independently of their election campaigns and use it to support other candidates, political organisations and activities.

The registration comes after El-Sayed used his victory speech to argue that ordinary voters could overcome the influence of wealthy interests. “The many can win,” he said, describing the outcome as a contest between money and the people. The name of the new committee reflects a phrase that became familiar during his campaign. “Habibi”, an Arabic term of affection meaning “my dear” or “my beloved”, was frequently used by El-Sayed while addressing supporters and political opponents. He also directed the expression at Vice President JD Vance during his victory speech in Detroit. “JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January,” El-Sayed said.

He is not the only newly elected Democrat to establish a leadership PAC after Tuesday's election. Al Jazeera reported that Arizona Congressman-elect Amish Shah registered PACStreet Boy, Iowa Senator-elect Josh Turek launched WheelPAC, and North Carolina Senator-elect Roy Cooper registered One NC PAC. These committees can help lawmakers build political networks by contributing to other candidates and party organisations. They are also used by politicians seeking to develop influence within their parties and strengthen their chances of securing leadership roles or committee chairmanships, according to OpenSecrets, as cited by the news outlet.

Leadership PACs distributed $79.3 million to federal candidates during the 2024 election cycle. Republicans received most of the contributions, although a Democratic leadership PAC was the largest individual donor, OpenSecrets data showed. The scale of political spending has also increased during the latest election cycle. OpenSecrets estimated that total expenditure would reach $11.9 billion, compared with $8.9 billion in the 2022 midterms, according to Al Jazeera. Spending by outside groups, largely through super PACs, was projected to reach $3.9 billion, an 85 per cent rise from 2022. Contributions from undisclosed donors, known as dark money, had already crossed $1.47 billion, exceeding the previous record of $1.35 billion set during the 2024 presidential election cycle.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated Republican Mike Rogers after facing attacks from President Donald Trump, Vance and Senator Ted Cruz. The three called him a “jihadist” and attempted to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood without providing evidence. OpenSecrets also found that conservative groups spent about $360 million more than liberal groups on outside political spending. Democratic candidates, meanwhile, were expected to outspend Republican candidates by around $800 million.