A group of largely unknown wealthy donors with little record of political giving is pouring millions of dollars into support for far-left candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
Progressive candidates have secured a string of primary victories across the country in recent months, aided by groups such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Democratic establishment organizations and “anti-AIPAC” super PACs.
Much of the funding behind those campaigns has come from non-traditional donors, many of them of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent and employed in fields including technology and medicine.
Mohammad Waqas and Omer Hasan, both technology executives, are the two biggest donors to American Priorities, one of the most prominent “anti-AIPAC” super PACs.
Saikat Chakrabarti is the election cycle’s single largest donor to progressive causes, contributing $13.4 million to campaigns and political action committees. He built his fortune through early equity in the technology company Stripe, where he was one of the first software engineers.
The top 12 donors to American Priorities have given the group approximately $5.7 million during the 2025-2026 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Four of those 12 donors had not given any money to the PAC between 2014 and 2024. The two biggest contributors among them donated a combined $2.1 million over the past year.
The other two first-time donors were investor Afaq Ahmed and Fig And Olive Action, a Delaware corporation that does not disclose its funders. Together, they contributed nearly $1 million.
Progressive candidates, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have advanced through elections and primaries across the country with support 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 built his fortune in technology, has donated $13.4 million to progressive candidates and PACs during this election cycle.
The remaining donors gave only a fraction of what they contributed over the past year during the 2014-2024 period. Five of the top 12 donors also contributed to Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign, although none of them lives in New York.
This emerging group of non-traditional donors has helped fuel projections of a Democratic wave in the 2026 midterms. Polling suggests Democrats are well positioned to regain control of the House of Representatives and could potentially take the Senate as well.
Political analyst Nate Silver, who has accurately forecast the outcomes of several presidential elections, has given Democrats a 93 percent chance of winning the House and a 75 percent chance of taking the Senate.
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Prediction market Polymarket puts the odds of a Democratic House takeover between 91 and 93 percent, while assigning a 64 percent chance of a Senate takeover.
Progressive candidates are leading their Republican rivals in polling in races across the country, while contests in districts once considered safely Republican have moved into tossup territory.
Abdul El-Sayed, who has past connections to the DSA but says he is not affiliated with the organization, has received endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris in his bid for a Senate seat in Michigan.
Polling shows the race leaning toward El-Sayed as he faces Republican challenger Mike Rogers.
In California’s 22nd House District, the contest between progressive candidate Randy Villegas and Republican incumbent David Valadao has become a tossup, even though Valadao won the seat by nearly seven points two years ago.
The race between progressive California House 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
The race between progressive candidate Brian Poindexter and Republican incumbent Max Miller for Ohio House Seat 7 has also come down to a tossup, despite the district not having elected a Democrat to the US House since 1936.
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 in New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
