Second Democrat says he was offered $20M to run against Tlaib

A second U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan has come forward saying he was offered $20 million by the pro-Israel lobby to switch races and instead mount a primary challenge against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit.

Nasser Beydoun, a Dearborn businessman and Democrat, turned down the offer, which he said was made Nov. 10 and conveyed by Lon Johnson, a political consultant and former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.

Johnson vehemently denied the claim by Beydoun: "That's just crazy. I didn't offer him $20 million, or any other amount of money, to run against Rashida," Johnson told The Detroit News. "That's insane."

The revelation by Beydoun, made in a video posted to X on Monday, is the second such claim by a Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan in less than a week. Just before Thanksgiving, Democrat Hill Harper, the actor, said Metro Detroit businessman Linden Nelson offered him $20 million if he ran against Tlaib instead. Harper also said no.

Like Harper, Beydoun said the $20 million would have been split — $10 million in independent expenditures and $10 million bundled toward his congressional campaign.

Such an arrangement, if agreed to, would violate federal campaign finance laws that prohibit a candidate from coordinating with anyone spending or promising to spend in excess of federal limits, Suarav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center, said last week.

Beydoun, the former chairman and executive director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, said the conversation with Johnson took place at the office of a third party ― a mutual friend of both men who set up the meeting and whom Beydoun declined to identify Monday.

"Of course, he's going to deny it, because it's probably illegal what he offered," Beydoun said of Johnson.

"I think they are looking for somebody who has credibility to beat Rashida. Because that's going to be very hard to do. You can't just drop someone into this race: She has very strong constituent services, and her district has a large Arab American constituency."

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has endured significant blowback for her criticism of Israel and defense of Palestinian civilian lives in the weeks following the Hamas terror group's deadly assault on Israeli citizens Oct. 7. Congress voted 234-188 earlier this month to censure her.

The pro-Israel American Israeli Public Affairs Committee reportedly visited Detroit this month to recruit primary challengers to run against her. AIPAC "had absolutely no involvement in any way with this matter," spokesman Marshall Wittmann said Monday night of Beydoun's claim.

Wittmann also previously said AIPAC wasn't involved in the alleged $20 million offer to Harper.

"I said, 'Nice talking to you,' and that was it," Beydoun said of his conversation with Johnson.

Initially, he didn't think much of the encounter, informing his campaign staff about what happened, as well as Tlaib, he said.

"But when they approached Hill, I thought ― wait, this isn't a one-off thing," Beydoun said. "We need to make this public so the Michigan voters know what's happening in Michigan, so they can make informed decisions."

Tlaib's campaign confirmed that Beydoun called her after the meeting to discuss the details. The campaign declined to comment further.

Beydoun also alleged a secondary purpose behind the offer ― clearing the Democratic primary field for Senate for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly, whom he says is AIPAC's "chosen" candidate to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing.

Beydoun, whose family is from Lebanon, doesn't seem the type of candidate the pro-Israel lobby would try to tap. He isn't supportive of the U.S.-Israel relationship and has called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

In a statement last month, Beydoun said President Joe Biden has "blood on his hands." "His failure to support the Palestinian Right to self-determination and perpetuate false propaganda has led to heightened Islamophobia and thousands of dead civilians in Gaza," Beydoun said in the statement. 

Beydoun contended Monday that AIPAC and its allies just want to "punish" Tlaib for her outspoken criticism of Israel and to quash dissent.

"For the pro-Israel lobby, it's not so much getting someone who is pro-Israel but showing they can defeat anyone who they choose to target," Beydoun said.

"They are are angry at Rashida for being the Palestinian voice — they see her getting stronger and people listen to what she has to say. ... That probably shocks them and (they) view it as a threat to Israel."

Other members of Congress in the progressive "Squad" that Tlaib is part of are getting primary challengers, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

A former state lawmaker, Tlaib was elected to a third term last fall representing Michigan's 12th District that covers Dearborn, Detroit's west side, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Redford Charter Township and Westland. 

She defeated three Democratic challengers in the August 2022 primary election, including Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey, winning with 64% of the vote.

mburke@detroitnews.com

Staff writer Beth LeBlanc and Chad Livengood contributed.