Michigan Senate candidate says he was offered $20 million to challenge Tlaib

A Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan said he was offered $20 million by a Michigan businessman to drop out of the race and instead mount a primary challenge against Rashida Tlaib, the Palestinian-American representative who was elected this month censored for her statements about Israel-Gaza. war.

Linden Nelson, a Michigan businessman and former donor to Democratic and some Republican candidates, made the campaign finance offer to Senate candidate Hill Harper last month, according to Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for Mr. Harper’s campaign. Mr. Nelson too donated $13,000 to Concerned Citizens of Michigana group that supported a primary challenge against Ms. Tlaib in 2020.

Mr Ganapathy added that the conversation between Mr Hill and Mr Nelson was “respectful on both sides”. Calls to Mr. Nelson’s phone number on Wednesday were not returned. Ms. Tlaib declined to comment on the case.

“I’m not going to take on the only Palestinian-American in Congress just because certain interest groups don’t like her,” Mr. Harper said. in a statement about formerly known as Twitter. He also criticized “the Israel lobby” and “a broken political and campaign finance system that targets the rich and powerful.”

The funding offer would have essentially eliminated a progressive candidate from the crowded Democratic primary for an open Senate seat in Michigan and pitted him against Ms. Tlaib, a member of the progressive “squad” in the House of Representatives. She has drawn criticism after breaking with Democrats who support Israel’s invasion of Gaza following a deadly terrorist attack by Hamas.

The offer also reflects a growing effort to target Democratic candidates who are either critical of Israel or sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. A pro-Israel Democratic group this month began running television ads criticizing Ms. Tlaib for her positions on the war in Gaza — such as calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict. Other primary challenges are emerging against progressive representatives such as Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Jamaal Bowman of New York.

Mr. Harper, an author and actor known for his roles in “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor,” said on X that he was approached by “one of the largest donors to AIPAC,” referring to American Israel Public Affairs Committee, soon after Politico published an article first mention of Mr. Nelson’s offer. He said he declined the offer, adding: “I don’t want to be bossed around, bullied or bought.”

AIPAC, among other pro-Israel groups, has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting Democratic primary candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. Progressive organizations are concerned that these groups will mount primaries against progressive Democratic elected officials next year.

Usamah Andrabi, the communications director for Justice Democrats, a progressive group that helped elect many of the targeted members of the House of Representatives, criticized Mr. Nelson’s offer, saying, “If that doesn’t show that our democracy and our elections are for sale to the highest millionaire donor, then I’m not sure what it is.”

Alain Delaqueriere research contributed.