FIRST MUSLIM SENATOR LAUNCHES HABIBI PAC TO FUND DEMOCRATIC ALLIES
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim ever elected to the United States Senate, moved quickly after his midterm victory to build influence inside the Democratic Party. Days after defeating Republican Mike Rogers, he registered Habibi PAC, a leadership political action committee whose purpose is to raise and distribute money to Democratic allies and preferred candidates.
The name is deliberate. Habibi is an Arabic term of endearment meaning my dear or my beloved. El-Sayed used it throughout his campaign and repeated it in his Detroit victory speech when he addressed Vice President JD Vance: JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you are constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January. Supporters had already turned the word into campaign merchandise with Habibi for Abdul shirts.
Leadership PACs of this type are separate from a candidate’s own campaign account. They cannot fund the sponsor’s reelection but allow an ambitious member to gain clout by writing checks to colleagues, party committees, and other candidates.
El-Sayed is one of several newly elected Democrats to file such committees in the days after the election. According to OpenSecrets data on prior cycles, leadership PACs have directed tens of millions of dollars to federal candidates.
The launch follows a race in which pro-Israel groups spent heavily against him. El-Sayed campaigned on progressive priorities including Medicare for All and reducing the role of money in politics, yet the new PAC positions him to participate in the traditional fundraising system that builds internal party power. Michigan remains a critical swing state, and control of resources there will matter for any future Democratic presidential contest.
Social media reaction was immediate and sharp. Replies to the announcement warned that the PAC could become a vehicle for foreign or overseas contributions aimed at expanding Muslim political influence in American elections. Others simply noted the speed with which a historic first was converted into an organized funding operation.
Sources: The Hill, Al Jazeera, The New Arab, Federal Election Commission filings as reported in multiple outlets, OpenSecrets.