WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats running in their ugly primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat are divided over accepting corporate PAC donations, according to a new report from Detroit News. Abdul El-Sayed has sworn off corporate PAC donations and Mallory McMorrow flip-flopped after taking corporate PAC money in previous campaigns. Meanwhile, Haley Stevens is “raking it in.”
“The fight amongst Michigan Democrats is just getting started as Bernie Sanders-backed socialist Abdul El-Sayed is throwing shots left and right, transgender activist Mallory McMorrow remains confused about her path forward, and Chuck Schumer-backed Haley Stevens is on defense after being exposed as a corporate shill for the Democrat establishment,” said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia.
More from The Detroit News:
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It’s a potential political battle line between Stevens and her Democratic primary opponents that emerged following the last fundraising quarter. Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed says he’s the only contender in the Democratic primary field who has never accepted such contributions, while state Sen. Mallory McMorrow only started refusing corporate PAC money this election cycle.
Stevens… took more than $250,000 from corporate PACs in the first six months of 2025[.]
In all, Stevens has taken at least $1.7 million from corporate PACs between her campaign accounts and leadership committee since she started running for office in the 2018 cycle.
El-Sayed… regularly criticizes his opponents on the campaign trail for taking money from business groups.
Before she swore off corporate cash, McMorrow’s main leadership PAC at the state level took donations from a variety of business trade groups[.]
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Corporate PACs have contributed at least $1.6 million to Stevens’ campaign accounts and $139,500 to her leadership PAC, HMS Scrap PAC, during her five runs for office.
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Before she rejected corporate PAC money, McMorrow received direct contributions from corporate PACs to her state Senate campaigns and leadership committees of nearly $80,000 since 2019, according to an analysis by The News.
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McMorrow said she received no corporate PAC dollars in her first campaign in 2018, largely because she was running against an incumbent.
After she arrived in Lansing, however, she began to accept it.
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In 2017, McMorrow tweeted: “If we on the left continue to tear down candidates for taking money to win, we’ll continue to lose.” The post has since been deleted.
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