An end to big money? Sanders declares war on the Democrats' "corrupt system"
The Democratic senator demands that his party's leadership ban Super PACs from participating in primaries, arguing that hundreds of millions of dollars from outside entities allow special interests to influence election results.
Senator Bernie Sanders is calling on the Democratic Party leadership to ban the participation of "Super PACs" (political action committees) in the party's primaries. In a letter sent to the leadership and revealed exclusively on the CBS program "Face the Nation," Sanders argues that these fundraising organizations lead to a "corrupt system."
Super PACs are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money for candidates, but they are prohibited from coordinating activities directly with them or their staffs. In his letter, Sanders noted that committees supported by corporations had already spent over $517 million during the 2026 midterm election cycle. The letter was addressed, among others, to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin.
The issue of outside funding has become a particularly sensitive focal point in some election campaigns. For example, Haley Stevens, who ran for a Senate seat from Michigan and was defeated by her rival Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, received donations of over $50 million from outside organizations. This amount included about $30 million from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby. Sanders addressed this and even highlighted reports that AIPAC is now planning to spend "tens of millions" in support of Republican candidate Mike Rogers, El-Sayed's opponent in the general election.
"It no longer matters if you are a Democrat or a Republican," Sanders clarified in an interview with CBS News. "It's not just AIPAC, it's the AI and crypto people. They will take over the primaries to promote their special interests, regardless of which party is involved. To me, it is just crazy that Democrats would allow such an entity to enter, and then, if it loses, cross the lines to the other party."
However, Sanders admitted that without broad reform, candidates will continue to accept Super PAC money in general elections so as not to face a massive financial disadvantage against their rivals. According to him, the real solution lies in overturning the Supreme Court's 2010 "Citizens United" ruling, which removed restrictions on political spending, and moving to public election financing.
Concluding his letter, Sanders appealed to his party's leadership: "I call on you to act and make it clear that the Democratic Party will no longer sustain this corrupt system. Despite the ideological differences within us, we must not allow special Republican interests to determine the results of our primaries. The time to act is now."
