Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed's campaign collected more than $115,000 from individuals who work for or held leadership roles with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), according to a Fox News Digital review of federal campaign finance records.

The review identified at least 41 donors connected to CAIR — either current employees, former staff, or people who served in leadership positions with the organization. The UAE has designated CAIR a terrorist organization, and Florida and Texas have formally designated or labeled it as such, according to the report. El-Sayed has made getting "money out of politics" a central theme of his Senate campaign.

What the Right Is Saying

Critics point to the designations by the UAE and by Florida and Texas as grounds for concern about whether El-Sayed's campaign should accept contributions from people affiliated with the group, arguing that voters deserve full transparency about who is funding his bid.

Conservative commentators also highlight what they describe as a contradiction between El-Sayed's "money out of politics" messaging and his acceptance of more than $100,000 from CAIR-affiliated donors. The review does not indicate whether El-Sayed or his campaign has addressed the donations publicly since it was published.

What the Left Is Saying

Supporters of El-Sayed describe CAIR as a civil rights organization that advocates for Muslim Americans facing discrimination, and they contend the UAE's designation reflects regional political disputes rather than evidence about the group's activities. They note that all donations were reported through standard campaign finance disclosures.

Democratic allies also frame scrutiny of the contributions as an effort to use El-Sayed's ties to Muslim-American groups against him, arguing that the donations were legal, publicly disclosed, and unremarkable under federal campaign finance rules. No allegations have been made in the review that any donor or CAIR itself violated federal law by making these contributions.

What the Numbers Show

According to the Fox News Digital review: More than $115,000 in contributions came from at least 41 individuals who work for CAIR, formerly worked for CAIR, or served in leadership roles with the organization. The UAE has formally designated CAIR a terrorist organization. Florida and Texas have formally designated or labeled CAIR as such.

The Bottom Line

The donations are now part of the public record and could become a focus of Michigan's Senate race as El-Sayed balances his money-out-of-politics message against scrutiny of donor affiliations. How the campaign responds to questions about the contributions, and whether voters view CAIR's designations as relevant, will shape the next phase of the contest.