Tired of Corporate Sellouts? Back These People-Funded Fighters

The Democratic Party’s approval is at 26% because it keeps backing the status quo. These five campaigns show us another path—rooted in courage, humanity, and people.

In just a few weeks it will be last day of 2025, and the last day of the quarter. And you’ll no doubt get inundated with texts promising “600% MATCHING IF YOU JUST DONATE NOW” to various campaigns for office. I’ve received hundreds of such texts, and I’ve taken the time to thoroughly investigate them.

Five have stood out because of their commitment to universal human rights, a people funded politics, and economic justice for all people in this country. Here’s who they are, why I use the above principles as the litmus test, and why I invite you to join me in donating to their campaigns for public office. Let’s Address This.

Opening Thoughts

I’ve had the chance to connect with and speak to each of these candidates. I’ve read their platforms, seen their work in their respective communities, and watched them lead by example. It is no coincidence that each of these candidates champion universal healthcare as a human right, an actual living wage, ensuring billionaires and billion dollar corporations pay their fair share of taxes, overturning Citizens United, codifying Roe, meaningful climate justice, compassionate immigration policy, due process of law for all people in this country, the ERA, the Equality Act, term limits, labor unions, fully funded public education, and stopping what Dr. King called the triple evils of militarism, racism, and poverty. And so yes, each of these candidates stands firmly against genocide in Gaza, and are on public record. In supporting these candidates, you’re not only taking a stand against genocide, you’re not only taking a stand against corporate money in politics, you’re taking a stand for each of the aforementioned just policies that every person in this country needs and deserves.

Finally, each of these candidates share one more quality that is, in my view, a defining issue in our time. Let me know if you can guess that common thread as you read my review. I’ll share that defining issue right after I introduce them to you.

The Fantastic Five

Salaam Bhatti

Salaam Bhatti (39) is running for Congress in Virginia’s First Congressional district—a seat I ran in 6 years ago with virtually no financial support from the party. Now, after years of work and still little to no investment from the national Democratic Party, it is primed to flip blue due to the local work and activism of local party members. Salaam is a poverty lawyer who has lived in Virginia for nearly a decade, working to pass legislation to combat poverty. His success is undeniable. Salaam convinced Republicans and Democrats to unite and vote unanimously to expand Virginia’s social safety nets. As a result, more than 25,000 Virginian families now have access to SNAP, tens of thousands of children received free school meals, and millions of Americans nationwide are using new tech tools he developed to facilitate access to social welfare. Now, after he launched his campaign for U.S. Congress, the national Democratic Party—which insists it doesn’t tip the scale in a primary—has fully endorsed a corporate funded politician who has taken absurd amounts of money from Big Energy, Big Tobacco, and soon AIPAC. This is as disappointing as it is predictable, and a reminder of why we need new and fresh voices in Congress.

Join me in donating to Salaam’s people funded campaign for Congress in Virginia District 1.

Salaam Bhatti, Candidate for Congress Virginia District 1

Graham Platner

Graham Platner (40) is a US Marine Veteran running to flip Maine blue and retire the very concerned textbook definition of feckless, Susan Collins. Platner is one of only a few serious U.S. Senate candidates to date who loudly condemns the genocide in Palestine, demands an end to the military industrial complex, and has called on Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer to step down or retire. Unsurprisingly, the national Democratic Party is backing an establishment candidate who will continue to take corporate money and vote for the will of dark money influencers over the rights of working people. Graham is well poised to win this election, if we continue to support him.

Join me in donating to Graham’s people funded campaign for Senate in Maine.

Graham Platner, Candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine

Bushra Amiwala

Elected School Member Bushra Amiwala (27) is the first Gen-Z person elected to public office in American history. Born and raised in Illinois’ 9th Congressional district, she’s running in a crowded field for an open seat after Jan Schakowsky announced her retirement after nearly 30 years in office. Bushra is facing stiff opposition from AIPAC and corporate funded candidates. She also faces the uphill battles of being young, being a woman, being a woman of color, belonging to a faith minority, and rejecting all corporate money. Yet, she’s rising above it all and demonstrating by example that she is unquestionably the best person for the job. Over the past several months, candidates in the crowded field have dropped out and thrown their support behind Bushra. Bushra can make history as the first Pakistani-American and first Gen-Z woman in Congress, and continue a politics committed to economic justice for working people. We have the power to make that happen.

Join me in donating to Bushra’s people funded campaign for Congress in Illinois District 9:

Bushra Amiwala, Candidate for Congress in Illinois District 9

Donavan McKinney

Michigan State Rep Donavan McKinney (33) is running an inspired campaign against one of the wealthiest members of Congress in Michigan’s 13th District. His opponent is a self-funded, 70-year-old Democratic incumbent who has no problem spending up to $20 million to buy his re-election in Congress. McKinney instead brings decades of community activism in the non-profit sector, years of success in the Michigan state legislature, and a bold vision for the future committed to working people. He faces outlandish attacks from his opponent and dark money attacks from AIPAC, yet he’s successfully built a movement that is reaching the hearts of the people in his district. When Donavan is elected, Michigan’s 13th District—which is majority Black—will also finally have a Black Congressman. Given how Republicans are gerrymandering districts nationwide to disenfranchise Black voters, electing Donavan McKinney is a vital step towards ensuring Black Americans have meaningful representation in the halls of power. Let’s make that happen.

Join me in donating to Donavan’s people funded campaign for Congress in Michigan District 12:

Donavan McKinney, Candidate for Congress Michigan District 13

Dr. Abdul El Sayed

Dr. Abdul El Sayed (37) is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan’s open seat, being vacated by Senator Gary Peters. Abdul brings a long track record of fighting for universal healthcare, building up Michigan’s healthcare infrastructure, and serving as a vital voice to protect Michiganders, and indeed all Americans, during the COVID pandemic. Once again, while the Democratic Party insists it does not tip scales in the primary, recently leaked emails from the Party confirm that they’re tapping AIPAC funded Haley Stevens because she will continue to vote to arm Netanyahu as he commits war crimes—as she has to date. Abdul is instead running a powerful grassroots campaign statewide, with polling showing him neck and neck with Stevens. Our support can help make history by electing America’s first Arab-American to the U.S. Senate, a true fighter for working people, further adding to the critical need of meaningful diversity and representation in the upper chamber.

Join me in donating to Abdul’s people funded campaign for Senate in Michigan:

Dr. Abdul El Sayed, Candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan

The Common Thread

Did you figure out the trend binding each of them? Right now the Democratic Party has an abysmal 26% approval rating, the worst in more than 30 years. Despite Donald Trump’s historic unpopularity as a President, the Democratic Party’s public approval is somehow even worse. Here’s the common thread: Each of these five candidates are running for their respective seats while facing a Democratic incumbent, or a Party endorsed candidate who, in every circumstance, plans to continue the status quo that got the Democratic Party to a 26% approval. A status quo in which Democrats lost the House, the Senate, and the White House—again. This is an indefensible strategy, and guaranteed to fail, again. We cannot let that happen.

The common thread is change, a new direction forward, one funded by We the People.

Here’s an eternal truth: We will not get out of this mess by continuing to reelect the people who got us into this mess. We need new, people funded, justice driven, fighters, not corporate bought politicians beholden to AIPAC, the Health Insurance Lobby, or to Big Box retailers.

I’ve run for office. I know how difficult it is to raise money. I understand the calculus candidates make to convince themselves that taking corporate money won’t impact their decision making. And I understand that those who convince themselves of this myth, do so by lying to themselves.

Worse, they do so by lying to us.

Conclusion

I hope you make it a priority to primarily (even exclusively) support those candidates who are building what more than 90% of Americans across the political spectrum demand—a politics free of corporate and SuperPac money. Whether it’s the NRA, AIPAC, Defense Contractors, Health Insurance Lobbyists, Big Oil, Big Tobacco, or legacy corporate media—each of these entities have one thing in mind: maximizing profits. It is critical we recognize this corruption for what it is, and instead support those candidates who prioritize working people above all else.

Even if you donate only $1 to each of the above candidates, that’s $1 committed towards justice over genocide, humanity over hate, principles over propaganda, public servants over feckless politicians. I say again, we cannot defeat fascism by reelecting the same people who got us here. This is the moment to turn the page. Make that investment, spread the word, and let’s build that more perfect Union on the tenets of justice and universal human rights that we all deserve.