Fact-check: How much money did Haley Stevens get from DTE?

US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is criticizing Democratic primary rival Haley Stevens over donations from DTE Energy
Records show a DTE PAC contributed $45,000 to Stevens in the past but had not donated to her Senate campaign through June
El-Sayed has made his rejection of corporate contributions a pillar of his campaign

As progressive Abdul El-Sayed looks to distinguish himself in Michigan’s Democratic US Senate primary, he and his supporters have recently zeroed in on rival Haley Stevens’ financial ties to the state’s largest utility.

“While Michiganders sat in the dark for days after DTE’s failures, Haley Stevens was busy cashing $45,000 in DTE checks,” states one of several recent anti-Stevens ads by the PAC Fighting for Michigan, a super PAC supporting El-Sayed. “She’ll talk tough on rate hikes, but the receipts tell the real story.”

Bridge Michigan pulled those receipts as part of our series that fact-checks claims made in the Senate primary, where El-Sayed and Stevens are vying for the chance to face Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election.

Here’s what to know:

The context

Michigan’s largest monopoly utility, DTE Energy, has been a target of frequent public ire, much of it stemming from high rates, frequent outages and the company’s support of tax breaks for energy-hungry data centers that stand to boost its profits.

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Critics have long criticized DTE’s aggressive political lobbying, arguing the utility maintains favorable treatment from lawmakers by funding their campaigns.

DTE’s corporate political action committee spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually on donations to state and federal candidates.

A potential proposal targeting the November ballot aims to ban such spending by monopoly utilities or large government contractors in state-level races. If approved by voters, the policy would not apply to candidates for federal office, whose campaigns are governed by separate rules.

El-Sayed has refused to accept donations from corporate PACs, calling the influence of money in politics a “disease” that allows corporations to “buy and sell politicians.”

Stevens has accepted donations from PACs representing health insurance companies, investment firms, weapons developers and a range of other industries, but insisted donors have no influence over her policy stances.

“No one owns my vote,” she said during a July debate.

The facts

Federal Election Commission records show DTE’s company PAC had not donated any money to Stevens’ Senate campaign through the end of June. But the PAC previously donated $45,000 to Stevens’ House campaigns and her congressional leadership PAC, starting the year she took office in 2019.

The DTE PAC has not contributed to El-Sayed.

El-Sayed has benefited from some PAC support, including the National Nurses United for Patient Protection. The Fighting for Michigan PAC that is spending to support him is funded by individual donors.

Critiquing the DTE funding fits into a broader theme of El-Sayed’s campaign. He has repeatedly criticized the tens of millions of dollars corporate donors and outside groups have spent to support Stevens, contending they expect to receive friendly policy in return for their investment.

“When DTE spends money to buy a Senate seat, they’re not just buying a Senate seat, they’re buying a quietude when you lose your power for five days because of a mild storm,” he said during a Sunday rally in Lansing. “When Blue Cross tries to buy a Senate seat, they’re buying the ability to raise your premiums again and again and again.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has donated $19,500 to Stevens since 2018.

Responding to such criticisms, Stevens spokesperson Joetta Appiah highlighted Stevens’ proposals to reform campaign finance laws and better police utilities, insurance and pharmaceutical companies as evidence that corporations supporting her campaign can’t buy her vote.

In March, for example, Stevens introduced legislation that would withhold federal funding from utilities that raise rates twice in a year.

“The only voices Haley cares about are the voices of Michiganders, and those are the stories she brings with her to Congress every day,” Appiah said.

In a campaign video released last week, Stevens played up her push for utility accountability, noting DTE has paid no federal taxes since 2013.

“As your next United States senator,” she said in the video, “I’m not going to let it stand.”

The bottom line

DTE Energy’s company PAC repeatedly donated to Stevens’ past campaigns and her leadership PAC, spending a total of $45,000 since 2019. The utility has not reported any contributions to her current US Senate campaign.