United States newly elected Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has registered Habibi PAC, a leadership political action committee (PAC), following his historic election victory.
The purpose:
Political action committees, or PACs, are organisations that raise and spend money to support or oppose candidates for office.
As a leadership PAC, Habibi PAC allows El-Sayed to raise and spend funds independently of his own campaign committee to support fellow Democratic candidates and build broader political networks and influence.
The name:
The choice of the title “Habibi” (an Arabic term meaning “my darling” or “my beloved”) leans into the cultural identity that featured prominently during his campaign, where he embraced terms like “Habibi” and “Inshallah.”
The context:
A Federal Election Commission filing dated on Thursday shows that Habibi PAC is registered as a leadership PAC sponsored by El-Sayed.
Such committees are separate from a politician’s own campaign.
The launch comes just days after his landmark win making him the first Muslim American elected to the United States Senate.
El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, defeated Republican Mike Rogers after a campaign in which Trump, 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.
It has drawn notable attention given his campaign messaging, which frequently railed against the outsized influence of money in politics.
