October 7, 2026
- Michigan’s 10 billionaires control $83.7 billion of national wealth as of September 1st.
- Michigan’s billionaire class has spent $20.7 million to influence the outcomes of federal 2026 midterm elections.
- Democratic committees and liberal outside spending groups received $1.2 million from Michigan billionaires, while Republican committees and conservative outside spending groups received $19.5 million from Michigan billionaires.
- The top Michigan billionaires federal election spenders are Roger Penske ($9.2 million), Devos Family ($6.7 million), and Matthew Moroun ($1.7 million).
- As of August 28th, billionaires have contributed $3.2 million directly to Michigan candidates running for federal office and $580,000 to state & local party committees. Outside spending groups—primarily Super PACs—have flooded Michigan’s airwaves and mailboxes with nearly $21.3 million of billionaire sourced political spending for federal candidates. With the general election just weeks away, expect this figure to grow dramatically.
- The races for Michigan’s open Senate seat and 13th Congressional districts have received the most billionaire spending, $23 million and $2.5 million respectively.
- Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed won his Senate primary with almost no help from billionaires, a little over $100k from them, but he faced down nearly $5 million of billionaire outside spending and an additional $22 million of dark money attacks whose origins are unknown. Just weeks into the general election, Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, has already had billionaires spend $11.7 million on his behalf.
- Incumbent Shari Thanedar (MI-13) got $1.8 million of favorable outside spending, $1.4 million sourced directly from billionaire, but that was not enough to stop DSA insurgent Donovan McKinny from unseating him in the August Democratic primary, despite facing $217,000 in billionaire financed attack ads.
- Dark Money groups, who don’t have to reveal their donor lists, have spent at least $24.3 million to influence the midterm elections in Michigan.