Sen. Bernie Sanders is urging Democratic leaders to ban super PACs from participating in primary elections, saying in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin that the current system is corrupt. The Vermont independent, who frequently caucuses with Democrats, addressed the message to the party’s top figures on August 8, shared exclusively with CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”
Sanders noted that corporate-backed super PACs have already spent over $517 million during the 2026 midterm election cycle. “What is particularly obscene is not only the outrageous amount of money coming into Democratic primaries from billionaire-funded super PACs, but the reality that these special interests have no particular desire to see Democrats win,” Sanders wrote in the letter.
The call comes as super PAC spending has reached unprecedented levels in Democratic primaries. According to The Nation, crypto, artificial intelligence, and pro-Israel groups are among the largest spenders, reshaping races while keeping their policy agendas largely out of public view. A progressive super PAC called Lead Left spent over $3.1 million supporting far-left candidates in two 2026 Democratic races, while the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has become a focal point of the debate.
AIPAC’s spending in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary exemplifies Sanders’s concern. The organization and affiliated groups spent over $30 million supporting moderate candidate Haley Stevens against progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed—the largest super PAC investment in that race. Despite the massive spending, El-Sayed won the primary in August 2026. Sanders highlighted this outcome in his letter, noting that AIPAC is now planning to spend “tens of millions” to support Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s opponent in the general election.
“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,” Sanders wrote. “That is not democracy. That is not what Democratic voters want.”
Sanders proposed three approaches to address the issue. Most immediately, he urged the Democratic Party to unilaterally prohibit super PACs from participating in primaries—a step party leaders could take without waiting for legislation. He also called for Congress to pass legislation allowing for public funding of elections. Finally, he advocated for a constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court ruling that struck down limits on independent political spending by outside groups.
The letter reflects an ongoing tension within the Democratic Party over campaign finance. Earlier in 2026, Sanders and other progressive senators had already pressed Democratic leadership on the issue. In May, Sanders and Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania introduced legislation aimed at abolishing super PACs and preventing billionaires from buying candidates. However, party leadership has not moved to restrict super PAC participation in primaries, and as of August 10, neither Schumer nor Jeffries had publicly responded to Sanders’s letter, according to reporting from The Hip Hop Democrat.
Sanders argued that Democrats could act unilaterally. “While there are ideological differences of opinion within the big tent of the party, I would hope that we can all agree that Republican special interests should not play a role in determining the outcome of Democratic primaries,” he wrote. “The time to act is now.” The letter underscores how super PAC spending has become a defining feature of the 2026 election cycle, with super PACs pouring millions into California races to oppose progressive candidates and other contests across the country.
Sources
- CBS News — Sanders’s letter to Democratic leaders calling for a super PAC ban, the $517 million spending figure, and details of AIPAC’s Michigan primary spending and general election plans.
- The Hill — Sanders’s call for Democratic leaders to ban super PACs from primaries.
- Fox News — Sanders’s statement and August 8 letter to Schumer, and AIPAC’s Michigan spending details.
- The Nation — Unprecedented super PAC spending in 2026 Democratic primaries by crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups.
- Campaign Legal Center — Information on “pop-up” super PACs like Lead Left spending millions in 2026 Democratic races.
- The Hip Hop Democrat — Reporting that Jeffries and Schumer had not publicly responded to Sanders’s letter as of August 10.
- American Israel Public Affairs Committee / Multiple sources — AIPAC’s $30+ million spending in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and El-Sayed’s primary victory.
