Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed receives financial support from nearly two dozen individuals who also contributed to former Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian. Bilzerian's previous campaign was embroiled in controversy due to antisemitic remarks directed at Representative Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida.
While El-Sayed and Bilzerian occupy distinct positions across the political spectrum, they both have voiced objections to American financial assistance to Israel, advocating for its complete cessation.
Their broader political platforms diverge significantly. Bilzerian has supported the Trump administration's initiatives for mass deportations, whereas El-Sayed has called for the disbandment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Additionally, Bilzerian championed reduced taxes and deregulation, in contrast to El-Sayed's proposals for increased taxation on high-income earners and a universal healthcare system, Medicare for All.
Controversial Campaign Tactics and Associations
Bilzerian's primary election campaign against Representative Fine was marked by sharp criticism from Republican figures due to its tactics and advertisements. His attacks on Fine, who is Jewish, included an AI-generated campaign advertisement, lasting two and a half minutes, which contained antisemitic slurs, referring to Fine as a ".fat Jew," among other derogatory comments.
Similarly, El-Sayed, who has frequently accused Israel of perpetrating "genocide" against Palestinians, has drawn scrutiny for his connections, particularly with social media personality Hasan Piker. Piker previously stated that the militant group Hamas was "a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state," in reference to Israel.
Key Donors and Their Perspectives
Among the shared donors is an individual identified as Awad, who contributed $7,000 to El-Sayed's campaign a little over a month before the reported date. Awad, whose mother was born in Gaza, has been an outspoken critic of Israel, asserting that the nation is committing a "Holocaust" in Gaza that may surpass the atrocities of the World War II Holocaust.
"It’s a Holocaust," Awad remarked during an appearance on the Sumud Podcast, hosted by Dr. Ed Hasan. "Like, it’s present day. There are so many ways that it’s even worse than [the] World War II Holocaust because it’s happening in real time right in front of us."
During the August 2025 podcast episode, Awad also condemned Zionism as a "toxic way of thinking."
"That’s the poisonous sin, right? The toxicity of Zionism," Awad explained. "It’s all rooted in this supremacy. Racism is rooted in this supremacy. Slavery is rooted in this supremacy."
He articulated a distinction between Judaism and Zionism but contended that the burden of explaining this difference should not fall on Palestinians.
"The onus is on the oppressor," Awad stated. "I mean, about whether you’re coming in and you’re saying, ‘Hey, Israel is a Jewish state,’ and that same Jewish state is coming in and spray-painting the walls with the Star of David, and then I have to now, as the victim whose home was stolen, say, ‘Oh no, it’s not that you’re a bad Jew. It’s that you’re just a Zionist settler.’"
"Nonetheless, we take the high ground and we distinguish, and we say, ‘No, this is Zionism, right? This is Jewish supremacy. That is antithetical to Judaism, right? But that’s what it is,'" Awad continued.
Awad further rejected the labeling of Palestinian resistance as "terrorism."
Additional Financial Contributions and Affiliations
Another donor, Hussein 'Sam' Mahrouq, a Texas resident and proprietor of Enterprises International, the parent company of AutoMax and Dollar Rent-A-Car, contributed $3,500 to El-Sayed's campaign between May 2025 and April 2026. Mahrouq also funneled over $1,000 through a joint fundraising committee that supported Bilzerian.
Mahrouq's donation history includes contributions to other political figures critical of Israel, such as Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia. He also provided $400,000 to American Priorities PAC, an organization established this year with the stated goal of counteracting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Mahrouq, who has publicly shared on the podcast Bigger than Business that he is the child of Palestinian refugees, offered a statement regarding his donations.
"I have made contributions and donations to many different candidates, organizations, community initiatives and charitable projects over the years," Mahrouq commented. "A contribution should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every position taken by a candidate or organization."
Muhi Khwaja, a co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation, also made contributions to both candidates, donating $625 to El-Sayed's campaign and $26.68 to Bilzerian's. In a November 2023 essay, Khwaja recounted a visit to Gaza and advocated for broadening support for Palestinians beyond the Arab world.
"The Israel-Hamas war has made one thing clear: The philanthropic world can no longer turn a blind eye to the collective punishment facing Palestinians," Khwaja wrote. "As a student of philanthropy, I believe in the love of humankind. As a Muslim, I believe in compassion for all. My Jewish friends and colleagues believe in Tikkun olam — repairing the world. But Israel’s actions in Gaza are doing the opposite."