A group of wealthy but largely unknown donors with little record of political giving has poured millions of dollars into campaigns backing far-left candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
Progressive candidates have secured a series of primary victories across the country in recent months, aided by groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Democratic establishment donors and “anti-AIPAC” super PACs.
Much of the money entering these races has come from nontraditional donors, including many people of South Asian or Middle Eastern heritage who made their fortunes in technology, medicine and other professional fields.
Mohammad Waqas and Omer Hassan, both technology executives, are the two largest donors to American Priorities, one of the most prominent “anti-AIPAC” super PACs.
Saikat Chakrabarti is the election cycle’s biggest individual donor to progressive causes, contributing $13.4 million to a range of campaigns and political action committees. He built his wealth through early equity in Stripe, where he was among the technology company’s first software engineers.
According to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the 12 biggest donors to American Priorities gave the super PAC approximately $5.7 million during the 2025-26 election cycle.
Four of those 12 donors had not contributed to the PAC at all between 2014 and 2024. That group included Waqas and Hassan, who together gave $2.1 million over the past year.
The remaining donors gave only a small portion of their recent contributions during the 2014-24 period. Five of the 12 leading donors also supported New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, although none of them lives in New York.
Progressive candidates such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have advanced through elections and primaries across the country with backing from little-known donors
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is favored to defeat Republican opponent Mike Rogers. El-Sayed has been endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Saikat Chakrabarti, a centimillionaire who made his fortune in technology, has donated $13.4 million to progressive candidates and political action committees during this election cycle
The influx of money from this new class of nontraditional donors has helped fuel expectations of a Democratic wave in the 2026 midterms. Polling suggests Democrats could reclaim control of the House of Representatives and may also have a path to a Senate majority.
Political analyst Nate Silver, who has correctly forecast the results of numerous presidential elections, has given Democrats a 93 percent chance of winning the House and a 75 percent chance of taking the Senate.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Mother voices fury at ex-partner after discovering her young children dead
Prediction market Polymarket puts the likelihood of a Democratic House takeover between 91 and 93 percent, while assigning a 64 percent chance to a Senate takeover.
Across the country, progressive candidates are recording polling leads over their Republican opponents. Several contests in districts that were once considered safely Republican have now tightened to tossups.
Abdul El-Sayed, who has past ties to the DSA but says he is not affiliated with the organization, has received endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris in his campaign for a Michigan Senate seat.
Polling shows the race leaning toward El-Sayed as he challenges Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
In California’s 22nd Congressional District, the contest between progressive candidate Randy Villegas and Republican incumbent David Valadao has become a tossup. Valadao won the seat by nearly seven percentage points two years ago.
The race in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District between progressive candidate Brian Poindexter and Republican incumbent Max Miller has also tightened to a tossup, even though the district had not elected a Democrat to the U.S. House for decades.
The California U.S. House race between progressive candidate Randy Villegas and Republican incumbent David Valadao is projected to be a tossup
Progressive Ohio US House candidate Brian Poindexter is also projected to be in a tossup race against Republican Incumbent Max Miller despite the district traditionally being solidly red
Those races are just a few examples of a larger story playing out across the nation this election cycle.
The strong position of progressive candidates was ushered in by Mamdani’s victory in New York City, as the mayor showed his platform resounded with large swathes of voters and could be emulated by others.
El-Sayed is one of the most successful examples of the new wave of far-left candidates. Ocasio-Cortez has said that ‘if Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere.’
Chakrabarti, the top donor to progressive causes this year, contributed to Abdul’s campaign for Senate, and Miller’s and Villegas’ campaigns for the House.
The California-based centi-millionaire has also donated to four other House races in California, three in New York, and one New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania.