Sen. Bernie Sanders has urged Democratic leaders to prohibit super PACs from participating in the party's primaries, citing concerns over the influence of wealthy outside groups on nominations. Sanders specifically called out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.
In a letter addressed to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, Sanders stated that AIPAC and its affiliated groups spent more than $30 million in Michigan's Democratic primary in an effort to defeat a particular candidate. He also alleged that the group plans to spend millions more to support Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
"It is insane that the Democrats allow super PACs like AIPAC to spend millions in their primaries — only for those same special interests to help elect Republicans in the general election," Sanders wrote on X. "My message to Democratic leaders: Ban super PACs from Democratic primaries NOW."
Sanders further elaborated that corporate super PACs, including those related to cryptocurrency, AI, and online betting, have already spent a record $517 million this election cycle. He argued that these groups often have no strong desire to see Democrats win and engage in an "obscene" practice by spending heavily to influence primary outcomes, only to then support the Republican candidate if their preferred Democrat loses.
"It is absurd that they spend tens of millions of dollars to try to determine who the Democratic nominee is and, if they fail, then proceed to support the Republican candidate in the general election," he stated.
AIPAC, according to its website, supports pro-Israel candidates from both parties and is funded by individual citizens who wish to strengthen the U.S.-Israel partnership. The organization is affiliated with the United Democracy Project, a super PAC that aims to defeat detractors of the U.S.-Israel relationship, regardless of party affiliation.
Sanders reiterated his call for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and for the public financing of elections. He asserted that the Democratic Party has the power to prohibit super PACs from its primaries, urging party leaders to take action and end what he described as a "corrupt system."
Earlier this year, in May, Sanders and Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., introduced the Abolish Super PACs Act. This legislation aims to cap individual contributions to super PACs at $5,000, which would effectively eliminate them.
In response to the criticism, AIPAC, Schumer, Martin, Jeffries, and Rogers had not immediately commented when reached by Fox News Digital.