Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling on leaders of the Democratic party to end super PAC participation in primaries, saying in a letter shared exclusively with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that the fundraising organizations lead to a “corrupt system.”
Super PACs can raise unlimited money for a candidate, but are barred from coordinating directly with them or their team. Corporate-backed super PACs have already spent over $517 million during the 2026 midterm election cycle, Sanders noted in his letter. The message was addressed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin. Sanders is an independent who frequently caucuses with Democrats.
Funding from super PACs and other outside donors has become a key issue in some races. Haley Stevens, a Democratic candidate for the Michigan Senate who was defeated by opponent Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, received over $50 million in donations from outside organizations in the race, including $30 million from the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Sanders noted AIPAC’s donations to Stevens in his message, and highlighted reports the organization is now planning to spend “tens of millions” to support Republican Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s opponent in the general election.
“What you are seeing is, it doesn’t matter that you’re a Democrat or Republican,” Sanders said Sunday during an appearance on “Face the Nation.” “It’s not just AIPAC, it’s the AI people, it’s crypto. They will take over the primaries and try to get their point of view through, get their special interests accomplished, regardless of which party. So to me, it is insane that the Democrats would allow somebody to come in, an entity to come in, that will then, if they lose, go into the other party.”
As the Vermont independent seeks changes to super PAC participation in Democratic primaries, he acknowledged that candidates will continue accepting PAC money in general elections without broader reforms.
“Look, in the world that we live in, until we get rid of Citizens United and get rid of super PACs and move to public funding of elections, that is the reality,” Sanders said. “You can’t allow Democratic candidates to be outspent 50 to 1. But it is a corrupt campaign finance system, and Democrats can take charge of what takes place within their own primaries right now. General election can’t, but within primaries, Democrats can get super PACs out. That’s what they should do.”
In his letter, Sanders called on the country to pass a constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United, a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that struck down limits on independent political spending by outside groups. He also advocated for legislation that would allow for the public funding of elections. But the most immediate suggestion Sanders had was for the Democratic Party to prohibit super PACs from participating in primaries.
“I urge you to take action and make clear that the Democratic Party will no longer maintain this corrupt system,” Sanders wrote.
“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. The time to act is now.”
