Sanders targets crypto, AIPAC super PAC money with demand to ban outside groups from Democratic primaries
An Aug. 8 letter sent to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin put Bernie Sanders on record demanding a complete ban on…
Key takeaways
- In an Aug. 8 letter to Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and DNC Chair Ken Martin, Bernie Sanders demanded a complete ban on super PAC participation in Democratic primaries.
- Sanders cited a record $517 million in corporate super PAC outside spending this election cycle, naming crypto, AI, and online betting interests.
- Sanders singled out AIPAC and affiliated groups for spending more than $30 million against Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic primary, with plans to spend tens of millions more backing Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
- In a Sunday post on X, Sanders called on Democratic leadership to use existing party authority to bar super PACs from primaries, separate from legislation or a constitutional amendment.
- As of publication, none of the named parties—Schumer, Jeffries, or Martin—had commented.
An Aug. 8 letter sent to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin put Bernie Sanders on record demanding a complete ban on super PAC participation in Democratic primaries. The Vermont independent cited corporate super PACs, naming crypto, AI, and online betting special interests, as part of a record $517 million in outside spending this election cycle. His most pointed fire landed on AIPAC.
The $517 million figure
Corporate super PAC spending has shattered the record set in 2024, reaching $517 million in the current cycle. Sanders named crypto, AI, and online betting interests alongside traditional corporate money in his letter. He did not break spending out by sector.
Michigan gave Sanders his sharpest example. He wrote that AIPAC and affiliated groups spent more than $30 million in that state's Democratic primary attempting to defeat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, then said the group intends to spend tens of millions more to back Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. His core objection: outside groups are spending to shape Democratic nominations with no particular interest in Democratic wins.
AIPAC's stated position
AIPAC describes itself as a grassroots membership organization whose PAC backs pro-Israel candidates from both parties. Its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, says its mission is to defeat detractors of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Republican or Democrat.
Sanders treats that bipartisan framing as the problem. Groups willing to back a Republican after losing a Democratic primary fight, he argued, should not be deciding who wins that primary fight.
What to watch next
Sanders and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., introduced the Abolish Super PACs Act in May. That bill would cap individual contributions to super PACs at $5,000. His Sunday post on X escalated the ask: he called on Democratic leadership to use existing party authority to bar super PACs from primaries outright, separate from any legislation or a constitutional amendment targeting Citizens United.
The next confirmable step is a response from Schumer, Jeffries, or DNC Chair Ken Martin. As of publication, none of the named parties had commented.
Related reading
Filed via foxnews.com