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Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has launched a political action committee (PAC) named 'Habibi PAC', days after becoming the first Muslim member of the United States Senate, Al Jazeera reported.
According to Al Jazeera, citing a filing submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday, Habibi PAC has been registered as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed. Such committees operate separately from a politician's own election campaign and are used to raise and spend funds in support of other political candidates and political activities. The name 'Habibi', an Arabic term of endearment meaning 'my dear' or 'my beloved', is a phrase El-Sayed frequently used during his election campaign. He also used the expression while addressing US Vice President JD Vance during his victory speech in Detroit, saying, "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that youre constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January." El-Sayed is among several newly elected Democratic lawmakers who have registered leadership PACs following Tuesday's election, according to FEC filings. Others include Arizona Congressman-elect Amish Shah, who registered 'PACStreet Boy', Iowa Senator-elect Josh Turek, who launched 'WheelPAC', and North Carolina Senator-elect Roy Cooper, who registered 'One NC PAC', as reported by Al Jazeera. According to Al Jazeera, citing OpenSecrets, leadership PACs are often used by ambitious lawmakers to build influence among their colleagues and strengthen their prospects of securing party leadership positions or committee chairmanships. They typically contribute to other lawmakers, political parties and political committees. During the 2024 election cycle, leadership PACs contributed USD 79.3 million to federal candidates. While most of the contributions went to Republican candidates, a Democratic leadership PAC emerged as the largest individual donor, Al Jazeera reported, citing OpenSecrets. El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated Republican candidate Mike Rogers following a campaign in which US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Senator Ted Cruz questioned his loyalty, called him a "jihadist" and attempted to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood movement without providing evidence. Getting money out of politics was among El-Sayed's central campaign pledges. During his victory speech, he highlighted the significance of his electoral success, saying that in a contest between money and the people, "the many can win". His victory came amid the most expensive midterm election on record. According to Al Jazeera, an analysis of FEC data by OpenSecrets noted that total spending in the election cycle is expected to reach USD 11.9 billion, compared with USD 8.9 billion in 2022. Outside spending, largely driven by super PACs, is projected to reach USD 3.9 billion, marking an 85 per cent increase from the 2022 midterm elections. Meanwhile, so-called dark money contributions from donors whose identities are not disclosed have already reached at least USD 1.47 billion, surpassing the previous record of USD 1.35 billion set during the 2024 election cycle, which also included the presidential race. According to Al Jazeera, OpenSecrets found that conservative groups outspent liberal groups by approximately USD 360 million in outside spending, while Democratic candidates were expected to outspend their Republican counterparts by around USD 800 million. Political action committees, or PACs, are organisations that raise and spend money to support or oppose candidates for public office. Leadership PACs, in particular, allow elected officials and lawmakers to support other candidates and political organisations independently of their own campaign committees. (ANI)
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