The super PAC controlled by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is sending up to $9 million to a group backing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Newsweek summarized the Times report, which cites two people with knowledge of the plans 1.
A super PAC is a political committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts to influence an election. It cannot give directly to a candidate's campaign. AIPAC's super PAC is called the United Democracy Project (UDP). The Times says it would send the money to the Great Lakes Conservatives Fund, a super PAC dedicated to supporting Rogers 1.
Disclosure timing
According to the report, the money went out after an October 14 deadline that would have required disclosure before Election Day. Voters may not see it on paper until the next filing, which comes after the polls close on November 3 1.
Newsweek's account does not say any rule was broken. The concern is transparency. Michigan voters are already casting ballots. Early in-person voting runs from October 24 through November 1, and 789,476 absentee ballots had been returned as of Tuesday 1.
From Channel GOPEl-Sayed answers Trump and Vance's attacks on his faithAbdul El-Sayed · 125 plays · captioned, with the source named
A reversal from August
In August, the Times reported that Rogers and his team had reservations about AIPAC-funded ads. The reported worry was that ties to the group could hurt him in November 2. Axios reported that his allies asked AIPAC not to run ads for him. They pitched AIPAC donors on giving to a pro-Rogers super PAC instead 1.
By the first debate on October 8, Rogers had changed course. Asked about the Axios story, he said he would welcome AIPAC, adding the words in the quote below 1. UDP then put nearly $100,000 into mailers attacking Democrat Abdul El-Sayed 1.
I'll take all of that help.
The new transfer goes through exactly that kind of pro-Rogers super PAC, and AIPAC's name will not be on the ads, Newsweek reported 1.
AIPAC also announced Wednesday that it will stop endorsing candidates or making direct contributions through its PAC. It said it would "prioritize increasing direct, organized contributions from individual Americans to candidates." The super PAC stays, and it can still take unlimited donations 1.
El-Sayed responds
El-Sayed raised the report at Wednesday night's final debate in Southfield. He tied it to Rogers' early support for the Iran war 1.
But that's what you get when you have an AIPAC-backed politician.
Newsweek said it asked the Rogers and El-Sayed campaigns, AIPAC and the Great Lakes Conservatives Fund for comment. Its account does not include a response from them on the $9 million 1.
The stakes
The race is close. A Marist poll taken October 15-18 of 1,185 registered voters had El-Sayed at 50 percent and Rogers at 48 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.3 percentage points 1.
AIPAC's super PAC spent $33 million in the Democratic primary attacking El-Sayed and backing Rep. Haley Stevens, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. El-Sayed won by less than a percentage point 1.
That matters because Republicans hold the Senate 53-47, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control 1. Michigan is one of two Trump-won states where Democrats are defending a seat. Voters deserve to know who is paying for the ads they see before they vote, not after.
The Record
- The Times reported Rogers and his team had reservations about AIPAC-funded ads and that he attended AIPAC-hosted fundraisers in Los Angeles 2.
- At the first debate, Rogers said he would welcome AIPAC's help; UDP then spent nearly $100,000 on mailers against El-Sayed 1.
- Disclosure deadline before Election Day; the reported UDP transfer came after it 1.
- The Times reported UDP is sending up to $9 million to the Great Lakes Conservatives Fund 1.
Sources
- Newsweek, “AIPAC Dumps Last-Minute $9M Behind Mike Rogers in Rebuke of Abdul El-Sayed” (2026-10-22). newsweek.com/aipac-dumps-last-minute-9m-behind-mike-rogers-i
- The New Republic, “Rogers, AIPAC donation, Michigan Senate” (2026-08-24). newrepublic.com/post/214645/rogers-aipac-donation-michigan-s
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