Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed pays Detroit pastor $82,500 for consulting ahead of clergy roundtable
Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has paid pastor Horace Sheffield $82,500 for consulting services and will appear with him at a clergy roundtable in Detroit.
Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign has been paying $7,500 each month to the Ecumenical Ministers Alliance, a nonprofit headed by Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield, amounting to $82,500 in total. Sheffield, father of Detroit’s mayor and leader of several black-community organizations, will co-host a clergy roundtable with El-Sayed at his New Destiny Christian Fellowship church. The financial relationship was not disclosed in Sheffield’s endorsement interviews, prompting accusations of political pay-for-play.
Critics note similarities to past arrangements involving other candidates and black leaders. Sheffield’s nonprofit registration lapsed in 2014, a detail he said he was unaware of. Additional funds linked to El-Sayed have flowed to related groups such as 5Plus1, which has aired pro-El-Sayed ads. The episode highlights El-Sayed’s efforts to strengthen support among black voters amid broader policy positions that appeal to socially conservative constituents.
Why it matters
It reveals undisclosed financial ties between a Senate candidate and a prominent black pastor, raising concerns about political influence and transparency.
How this story developed
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