Sanders urges Democrats to ban super PAC money from primaries
Senator says unlimited outside spending lets billionaires and corporations distort party's nomination contests
WASHINGTON (MNTV) — Senator Bernie Sanders has urged Democratic leaders to bar super PACs — political groups that can raise and spend unlimited money — from the party’s primary elections, arguing that outside spending lets wealthy donors and corporations distort how Democrats choose their candidates.
In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, the Vermont independent said primaries should not be shaped by billionaire- or Republican-aligned interests.
He pointed to Michigan’s recent Senate primary, where a super PAC backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group, spent millions opposing progressive Abdul El-Sayed — who won anyway despite being heavily outspent.
Sanders noted the same interests could now back El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, which he said exposed the logic behind such spending.
“The Democratic Party has the power to prohibit super PACs from participating in its primaries,” Sanders wrote, urging immediate action.
He renewed his call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, which lifted limits on outside political spending, but argued Democrats need not wait for that to act.
The proposal faces resistance within the party, whose leaders rely on the same donor networks to compete in costly races. Earlier this year, the DNC’s rules committee rejected a resolution specifically criticizing AIPAC’s role, advancing a broader anti-dark-money statement instead.
A June report by the watchdog Public Citizen found corporations reported spending $517 million on the 2026 midterm cycle, $294 million of it from cryptocurrency, artificial-intelligence, Big Tech, and online-betting companies.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
