PolitiFact is reporting on its fact-checks from the Michigan and Massachusetts Democratic Senate primaries. The Michigan race, set for Aug. 4, features Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, with debates focusing on U.S.-Israel relations and the Democratic Party's future. PolitiFact said El-Sayed, a progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has criticized U.S. aid to Israel.
PolitiFact rated as False El-Sayed's claim that a poll showing Stevens with a slight lead was funded by AIPAC. It said the Democratic polling firm Tavern Research stated it funded the poll independently, and no public records connect AIPAC to it. The Associated Press reported AIPAC has spent nearly $30 million in the race, its largest investment ever in a single contest.
PolitiFact rated as Mostly False Stevens' statement that she has not taken donations from two major Michigan utility companies for her U.S. Senate campaign. It said her House campaign committee received donations from corporate PACs affiliated with DTE Energy and Consumers Energy in March 2025, which she then transferred to her Senate campaign a month later.
PolitiFact rated as Pants on Fire! El-Sayed's claim that former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers "took a $14 million payout as a pharma lobbyist." It found no federal or Michigan records showing Rogers worked as a registered lobbyist for any company, including pharmaceuticals, after leaving Congress. While his net worth may have increased, no single payment or group of payments matched that amount.
PolitiFact also addressed Stevens' claim that El-Sayed "has a super PAC that is run by his father-in-law that has spent millions of dollars on his behalf." It said El-Sayed's father-in-law, Jukaku Tayeb, is a major donor to Fighting for Michigan PAC, contributing $300,000, but the group states it is run by political strategists.
In Massachusetts, PolitiFact reported on the Democratic primary debate between Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton. Moulton accused Markey of appearing in Jeffrey Epstein files for meeting with a lobbyist working for Epstein, a claim Markey denied, stating he never met Epstein. The debate also covered campaign finance, stock holdings and the candidates' ages.