El-Sayed Launches 'Habibi PAC' Days After Historic Michigan Senate Win

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has launched Habibi PAC, a leadership political action committee, just days after becoming the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate. A Federal Election Commission filing dated Thursday, November 5, 2026, registers the committee as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed, separate from his Senate campaign, letting him raise money for other Democratic candidates and allies.

The name comes from the Arabic term of endearment meaning "my dear" or "my beloved," made famous in his Detroit victory speech, when he told Vice President JD Vance: "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January."

Key Points

• Abdul El-Sayed, 42, launched Habibi PAC days after winning Michigan's Senate race on November 3, 2026, becoming the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
• An FEC filing dated Thursday, November 5, registers Habibi PAC as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed.
• The PAC lets him raise and distribute money to other Democratic candidates and allies.
• "Habibi" is an Arabic term of endearment meaning "my dear" or "my beloved," used in his Detroit victory speech to Vice President JD Vance.
• El-Sayed is one of several newly elected Democrats to register leadership PACs since Tuesday's vote.

What Happened

The FEC filing, dated Thursday, November 5, 2026, shows Habibi PAC registered as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed. Leadership PACs are committees that politicians use to support other candidates, their party and other political committees, and they operate separately from a politician's own campaign committee. The filing was first reported on Saturday, November 7.

El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers on Tuesday, November 3, to win the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Gary Peters. His victory came in one of the most expensive midterm elections in American history, with total federal spending projected to reach $11.9 billion, according to an analysis of FEC data by OpenSecrets. El-Sayed has said the pro-Israel group AIPAC spent $42 million against him during the campaign.

Background: A Historic Win in Michigan

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, won Michigan's Senate race after a campaign in which President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Senator Ted Cruz questioned his loyalty, called him a "jihadist" and attempted to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, without providing any evidence. He campaigned on Medicare for All and on ending US military aid to Israel. Getting money out of politics was one of his central pledges. In his victory speech in Detroit, he said the result showed that in a battle between money and the many, "the many can win." He previously served as Detroit's health director and as Wayne County's health chief, and he won the Democratic primary with 48.5 percent of the vote over Representative Haley Stevens. His win was part of a Democratic wave that also delivered seven Senate seats and five governor's mansions.

What Is Habibi PAC — and What Can It Do?

A leadership PAC lets a politician raise money beyond campaign-committee limits and give it to other candidates, party committees and other political organisations. According to OpenSecrets, ambitious lawmakers use leadership PACs to gain clout with colleagues and to strengthen bids for leadership posts or committee chairmanships.

In the 2024 election cycle, leadership PACs gave $79.3 million to federal candidates. Most of that money went to Republicans, although a Democratic leadership PAC was the biggest single donor. For a freshman senator, a leadership PAC is therefore both a fundraising tool and a way to build relationships inside the Senate, where seniority and alliances decide who gets committee seats and whose bills move. The name also carries a message: El-Sayed refused during the campaign to distance himself from his faith or his heritage.

Reactions and Quotes

El-Sayed has not yet announced which candidates Habibi PAC will support first, and no fundraising totals have been disclosed. His victory speech remains the clearest statement of his approach. "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January," he said in Detroit. Speaking to Al Jazeera at a rally in Wyandotte days before the vote, he said taxpayers' money should be spent saving lives at home, and added that defeating Trump was not enough and that the system that produced him had to be replaced.

Why It Matters

Habibi PAC matters because it shows El-Sayed intends to be a national figure from his first day in the Senate, not a freshman who waits his turn. A leadership PAC gives a new senator something most freshmen lack: money to give away. In a chamber where members remember who helped them win, that money buys goodwill, and goodwill buys influence. It also matters as a cultural signal. El-Sayed is the first Muslim elected to the Senate, and he won after opponents spent millions attacking his faith. Naming his PAC "Habibi" is a deliberate choice to lead with the identity his opponents attacked, and to make it the public face of his political operation in Washington.

What Happens Next

El-Sayed will take his seat in January 2027, when the new Senate is sworn in. Before then, Habibi PAC is expected to begin fundraising and to announce its first endorsements and donations, most likely to Democratic candidates facing competitive races in 2028. The committee's first FEC reports, due in the coming months, will show how much it has raised and where the money is going.

Read more: Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate race, making history as first Muslim senator | Abdul El-Sayed victory speech: "JD, habibi" and "call me Senator" taunts to Vance and Trump | Midterm ad spending hits record $11.4 billion as 2026 race beats 2024 total

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Habibi PAC?
Habibi PAC is a leadership political action committee launched by Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed. An FEC filing dated November 5, 2026, registers it as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed, separate from his Senate campaign.

What does "habibi" mean?
"Habibi" is an Arabic term of endearment meaning "my dear" or "my beloved." El-Sayed used the word often on the campaign trail and in his Detroit victory speech, when he told Vice President JD Vance: "JD, habibi, there is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in in January."

Who is Abdul El-Sayed?
Abdul El-Sayed, 42, is the son of Egyptian immigrants and the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate. He won Michigan's Senate race on November 3, 2026, defeating Republican Mike Rogers. He previously served as Detroit's health director and as Wayne County's health chief.

What is a leadership PAC?
A leadership PAC is a political committee sponsored by a politician, separate from their campaign, that raises money and gives it to other candidates and party committees. According to OpenSecrets, lawmakers use them to gain clout with colleagues and strengthen bids for leadership posts or committee chairmanships.

When will Habibi PAC start giving money away?
No first donations or endorsements have been announced yet. The committee's first FEC reports, due in the coming months, will show how much it has raised and which candidates it supports, most likely ahead of the 2028 elections.