Nasser Beydoun, a Dearborn resident and a Democrat seeking the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), said he was offered campaign contributions of $20 million to quit the senate race and run against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Dearborn) in the 2024 Democratic primary.
Beydoun, a well known businessman and civil rights advocate, posted a video on social media in which he said the offer was made on behalf of the pro-Israel lobby the Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) .
Beydoun is the second U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan who has come forward saying he was approached with such an offer from the pro-Israel lobby to switch races and instead mount a primary challenge against Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Just before Thanksgiving, Democrat Hill Harper, the actor, said Metro Detroit businessman Linden Nelson offered him $20 million if he ran against Tlaib instead. Harper also rejected the offer.
Beydoun told The Arab American News that he turned down the offer, which he said was made on Nov. 10 and conveyed by Lon Johnson, a political consultant and former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.
Johnson denied Beydoun’s claim, according to the Detroit News.
“That’s just crazy. I didn’t offer him $20 million, or any other amount of money, to run against Rashida,” Johnson told The Detroit News. “That’s insane.”
“Of course, he’s going to deny it, because it’s probably illegal what he offered,” Beydoun said of Johnson.
Beydoun is the second U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan who has come forward saying he was approached with such an offer from the pro-Israel lobby to switch races and instead mount a primary challenge against Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Just before Thanksgiving, Democrat Hill Harper, the actor, said Metro Detroit businessman Linden Nelson offered him $20 million if he ran against Tlaib instead. Harper also rejected the offer.
Such a campaign contribution offer, if agreed to, would violate federal campaign finance laws that prohibit a candidate from coordinating with anyone spending or promising to spend in excess of federal limits, Suarav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center, said last week.
Beydoun, the former chairman and executive director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, said the conversation with Johnson took place at the office of a third party ― a mutual friend of both men who set up the meeting and whom Beydoun is refusing to identify at this time.
Like Harper, Beydoun said the $20 million would have been split — $10 million in independent expenditures and $10 million bundled toward his congressional campaign.
“Even knowing where I stand on AIPAC’s influence in our elections and foreign policy, the pro-Israel lobby had the nerve to suggest that I would even consider taking a dime from them,” Beydoun said on social media.
Read more: Nasser Beydoun announces candidacy for U.S. Senate
“I think they are looking for somebody who has credibility to beat Rashida. Because that’s going to be very hard to do. You can’t just drop someone into this race: She has very strong constituent services and her district has a large Arab American constituency, including Dearborn.”
Tlaib was elected to a third term last fall representing Michigan’s 12th District, which covers Dearborn, Detroit’s west side, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Redford Charter Township and Westland.
She defeated three Democratic challengers in the August 2022 primary election, including Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, winning with 64 percent of the vote.
She has endured significant blowback for her criticism of Israel and defense of Palestinian civilian lives in the last several weeks during the brutal assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. House voted 234-188 last month to censure her.
This act underscores the overwhelming power of moneyed interests over the voice of the people. The overwhelming influence of financial resources on elections has left our system broken and unworthy of trust. – Nasser Beydoun
In a statement last month, Beydoun said President Biden has “blood on his hands.”
“His failure to support the Palestinian Right to self-determination and perpetuate false propaganda has led to heightened Islamophobia and thousands of dead civilians in Gaza,” Beydoun said in the statement.
He contended that AIPAC and its allies just want to “punish” Tlaib for her outspoken criticism of Israel and to quash dissent.
“This act underscores the overwhelming power of moneyed interests over the voice of the people,” he said. “The overwhelming influence of financial resources on elections has left our system broken and unworthy of trust. While this might not be a revelation to many, the extent of the issue is far worse than most Americans realize. The magnitude of financial leverage in shaping political outcomes casts a shadow over the entire democratic process.”
Read more: Senate candidate Hill Harper rejected $20 million offer in campaign contributions to run against Rashida Tlaib instead
“Few entities possess the political clout and financial means to orchestrate a $20 million commitment to remove pro-Palestinian voices from Congress like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” he added. “AIPAC’s announced plan to allocate a staggering $100 million for the removal of members like Rashida in 2024 speaks volumes about the influence they wield in reshaping the political landscape. Asking someone like me to accept what amounts to a mob-like bribe shows just how desperate they are to stop the momentum our community is building in Michigan. I can’t be bought and neither can Congresswoman Tlaib. That’s why they hate her and now I’m sure me as well.”
When asked what community members could do to stand up for themselves and their interests in the coming months before the elections, Beydoun was clear on steps that must be taken.
“To counter this threat, we must harness every resource at our disposal—donations, volunteerism and active civic participation. By leveraging our collective strength, we can uphold the integrity of our democratic processes. We must work as hard as AIPAC does to protect ourselves and our country’s future from their direct attacks against us.”
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