A recent investigation has uncovered a financial link between Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and a super-PAC that funded a Libertarian candidate in Michigan.. The operation allegedly sought to weaken Republican Mike Rogers through deceptive messaging and strategic funding.
The $250,000 pipeline from Building America to Principled Patriots
Financial records reveal a sophisticated movement of funds designed to bolster a third-party challenger. Between August and September 2023, an organization called Rapid Resist Action—which is tied to former Obama staffer Yoni Landau—transferred $1.6 million to a super-PAC known as Building America. According to the report, Building America subsequently moved $250,000 of those funds to Principled Patriots, a group dedicated to promoting Libertarian candidate Lydia Christensen.
The strategy employed by Principled Patriots was to frame Lydia Christensen as the "real conservative" choice for Michigan voters. By positioning a Libertarian as the authentic alternative to the Republican establishment, the group aimed to split the right-wing vote in a highly competitive environment.
Howie Stanger's $141,837 compliance fee from Abdul El-Sayed
The connection between the Democratic campaign and the Libertarian funding stems from a single individual: Howie Stanger. As reported, Howie Stanger serves as the treasurer for Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed while simultaneously managing compliance for the Building America super-PAC. This dual role creates a direct link between the candidate's financial operation and the entity funding the Libertarian opposition.
Federal campaign finance reports show that Abdul El-Sayed's campaign paid $141,837 to Pocketbook Strategies, the firm owned by Howie Stanger, for compliance services. This payment represents the largest amount any candidate in the current election cycle has paid to Stanger's firm, highlighting the deep financial intergation between the candidate and the strategist managing the super-PAC.
The 19,006-vote margin and the 'swamp' text campaign
The real-world impact of this financial web became evident through a targeted text-messaging campaign. Principled Patriots sent messages to voters framing Republican Senator Mike Rogers as a product of the "swamp," urging them to support Lydia Christensen instead. These messages arrived just weeks before the election, potentially swaying voters in a race decided by a razor-thin margin.
The final results show that Democrat Elissa Slotkin defeated Mike Rogers by only 19,006 votes, a margin of approximately one-third of a percentage point. Meanwhile, Lydia Christensen secured 56,697 votes, finishing third. The volume of votes captured by the Libertarian candidate suggests that the "spoiler" strategy may have played a role in the narrow outcome for Mike Rogers.
Marc Elias's network and the expansion into Iowa, Texas, and Alaska
This Michigan operation is not an isolated incident but part of a broader tactical trend. The report notes that Howie Stanger's ties extend to a network associated with the law firm of Democratic attorney Marc Elias. this network has increasingly utilized "dark money" and non-traditional tactics,such as coordinated text campaigns, to influence outcoes in conservative-leaning districts.
The reach of this strategy extends beyond Michigan. Financial disclosures indicate that the Building America super-PAC has also provided funding for minor-party candidates in other critical battleground states, including Iowa, Texas, and Alaska. This suggests a nationalized effort to use third-party candidates as tools for electoral sabotage in Republican strongholds.
Whether Lydia Christensen was a knowing participant
One of the most significant unresolved questions is the extent to which the Libertarian candidate was aware of her funding source. When approached by the Free Beacon, Lydia Christensen expressed outrage, describing the operation as a "shadowy money-in-politics machination" intended to deceive the public. Her spokeswoman, Rossi,claimed that Christensen was unaware of Principled Patriots until a supporter mentioned the group.
While Principled Patriots has denied coordinating with Building America,the financial overlap remains stark. It remains unclear if there was any direct communication between the strategists of Abdul El-Sayed and the campaign of Lydia Christensen, or if the Libertarian candidate was merely a convenient vessel for the super-PAC's objectives.
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