Pro-Stevens groups erase El-Sayed fundraising edge in Michigan Senate race

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed outraised rival Haley Stevens in the first two weeks of July, reporting $2.3 million in contributions
Campaign spending in the US Senate race has been dwarfed by super PACs, which are pouring money into ads to boost Stevens
The latest disclosure reports come with less than two weeks until Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary

LANSING — Abdul El-Sayed again raised more money than rival Haley Stevens in the fiercely competitive Democratic primary for Michigan’s open US Senate seat, but outside groups continue to spend much more to boost Stevens.

New federal disclosures filed Thursday show El-Sayed, the former Wayne County health director, raised about $2.3 million in the first two weeks of July. Stevens, who serves in the US House, raised $921,000.

But in the same two-week period, two super PACs spent a combined $12.1 million to benefit Stevens, primarily through a deluge of television and social media ads. Outside groups spent $656,000 on El-Sayed.

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The disclosure reports, which provide the final full picture of candidate finances before the Aug. 4 primary, underscore the pitched financial battle in a race that has become a proxy battle for the future of the Democratic Party.

Stevens has racked up endorsements from the establishment wing of the party. In the latest period, her top donors included Larry Bell, founder of Bell’s Brewery, who gave $2,500, along with 96 attorneys and 23 CEOs.

El-Sayed, a progressive favorite, reported contributions from Crooked Media co-founder Jon Lovett, whose network El-Sayed hosted a health podcast for, and Jibran Jahsahn, the vice president of engineering for chipbuilder Nvidia. Cherry Republic’s CEO also gave $2,500 to El-Sayed.

Presumed Republican nominee Mike Rogers raised about $314,000 for his campaign in the first two weeks of July.

Rogers has raised about $7.6 million so far, and without any primary competition, he’s managed to keep $4.4 million of that in the bank headed toward the general election. Stevens had $2.8 million in remaining cash as of July 15, while El-Sayed had $2.5 million.

Super PACs spend big

Despite El-Sayed’s fundraising edge in the closely watched Democratic primary, outside groups have given Stevens a lopsided advantage in total spending.

For the cycle, Stevens’ campaign has spent about $9 million, while super PACs supporting her have poured more than $45 million into the race, primarily through television ads touting her or criticizing El-Sayed.

By comparison, El-Sayed’s campaign has spent nearly $12 million so far, while outside groups supporting him have spent $3.3 million.

Those figures do not include TV air time reserved for the final weeks of the primary campaign, which is expected to push Stevens’ total support to more than $52 million, according to Ad Impact data reported Monday by MIRS subscription news service.

For a comparison, in Michigan’s $200 million US Senate, super PACs spent about $56 million through the primary and general election to benefit Gary Peters, who is retiring at the end of the year.

The majority of Stevens’ outside assistance has come from United Democracy Project, an offshoot of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. The group has spent nearly $25 million to boost Stevens, including $14.1 million since the start of July.

Another PAC called A Stronger Michigan, has spent more than $16 million on ads to boost Stevens since its creation in late May. The PAC is funded almost entirely by Center Forward, a dark money group that does not disclose donors and promotes centrist candidates.

Most of the outside money supporting El-Sayed has come from the Fighting for Michigan PAC, which has spent about $2 million on the race. The group’s latest filing shows $30,000 from the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Inc. and $25,000 from the American Committee for Middle East Rights.

Rogers, meanwhile, has had a steady trickle of positive advertising on his behalf paid for by groups such as the Republican-backed Senate Leadership Fund, which has pledged to spend more than $45 million to support him through the general election.