Sanders' Network Mobilizes Millions Ahead of 2026 Midterms and 2028 Race

Approaching the end of his Senate career, Bernie Sanders is leveraging his extensive fundraising network to influence the 2026 midterm landscape and set the stage for the 2028 presidential contest. He plans to allocate over $2.8 million of his $23 million fund to Senate hopefuls Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota and Angie Nixon in Florida, and will also back progressive Attorney General Keith Ellison’s re-election effort. Recent victories for Sanders-aligned candidates, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, illustrate the growing reach of his movement; El-Sayed alone has received $574,000 from Sanders.

The Michigan Senate race, a showdown between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, is being framed as a decisive test of Sanders’ legacy and the viability of his policy agenda in a competitive general election. Republicans have highlighted El-Sayed’s association with Twitch personality Hasan Piker, accusing the candidate of aligning with extremist rhetoric. Democratic strategists argue that a win in Michigan would cement Sanders’ status as a kingmaker within the party, while some moderate Democrats caution against reading the outcome as a wholesale shift toward his brand of socialism.