Detroit Pastor Received $75,000 from Senate Candidate Before Public Endorsement

Campaign finance records show that Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield III was paid $75,000 by Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed before publicly endorsing him.

Financial disclosures reveal that Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign transferred ten installments of $7,500 to the Ecumenical Ministers Alliance, a nonprofit run by Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield III, describing the funds as political consulting. Sheffield, who also hosts the radio show "The Wake-Up Call," first praised El-Sayed on air after the payments started and subsequently called on his audience to make phone calls for the campaign.

The pastor’s nonprofit, registered at Sheffield’s home address, officially endorsed El-Sayed in July, a move highlighted on the candidate’s website. El-Sayed expressed gratitude for the endorsement, while Sheffield continued to echo campaign talking points on Medicare for All and corporate PAC money. The endorsement is seen as crucial because polls show El-Sayed lags behind Rep. Haley Stevens among Black voters, especially Black men and women with and without college degrees. Sheffield has faced similar scrutiny before, having been suspended in 2018 after undisclosed payments from another candidate’s campaign were revealed.