Politics

Senator Abdul El‑Sayed Launches Leadership PAC “Habibi”

By Al Jazeera Staff

Michigan Senator‑elect Abdul El‑Sayed has registered a leadership political action committee called “Habibi PAC” after becoming the first Muslim member of the United States Senate. A Federal Election Commission filing dated Thursday shows the PAC is sponsored by El‑Sayed and is separate from his campaign. The name “Habibi,” an Arabic term of endearment meaning “my dear” or “my beloved,” is a phrase El‑Sayed frequently used on the campaign trail, including in his victory speech in Detroit, where he addressed Vice President J.D. Vance: “JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you’re constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January.”

El‑Sayed is among several newly elected Democrats who have registered leadership PACs since Tuesday’s vote. Others include Arizona Congressman‑elect Amish Shah’s “PACStreet Boy,” Iowa Senator‑elect Josh Turek’s “WheelPAC,” and North Carolina Senator‑elect Roy Cooper’s “One NC PAC.”

According to OpenSecrets, leadership PACs are used by lawmakers to gain influence with colleagues and strengthen bids for leadership posts or committee chairmanships by giving to other members, their party and other political committees. In the 2024 election cycle, leadership PACs gave $79.3 million to federal candidates, most of which went to Republicans, although a Democratic leadership PAC was the largest single donor.

El‑Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a campaign that faced attacks from Trump, Vance and Senator Ted Cruz, who questioned his loyalty and called him a “jihadist” and linked him to the Muslim Brotherhood without evidence. Speaking to Al Jazeera at a rally in Wyandotte, Michigan, days before the vote, El‑Sayed said taxpayers’ money should be spent saving lives at home rather than on foreign governments committing genocide or apartheid. He added that defeating Trump was not enough and that the system that produced him had to be replaced, with getting money out of politics as one of his central pledges.

In his victory speech, El‑Sayed said the result showed that in a battle between money and the many, “the many can win.” His win came amid the most expensive midterm election on record. An analysis of FEC data by OpenSecrets projects total spending to reach $11.9 billion, up from $8.9 billion in 2022. Outside spending, driven by super PACs, is projected to hit $3.9 billion, an 85 percent increase on 2022. Dark money from undisclosed donors has already reached at least $1.47 billion, surpassing the 2024 record of $1.35 billion, which included the presidential race. Conservative groups outspent liberal ones on outside spending by about $360 million, while Democratic candidates were expected to outspend Republican candidates by roughly $800 million.