Abdul El Sayed, who won a Senate seat in Michigan this week and will become the first Muslim member of the US Senate, has set up a political action committee called Habibi PAC.

A filing with the Federal Election Commission dated Thursday lists it as a leadership PAC sponsored by El Sayed. Such committees sit apart from a politician's own campaign and let them raise money and donate to other candidates, their party and political groups. Lawmakers often use them to build influence with colleagues and support bids for leadership posts or committee chairs.

The name comes from the Arabic term of endearment meaning my dear, a word El Sayed used often on the trail. In his victory speech in Detroit he aimed it at Vice President JD Vance, noting with some relish that Vance will be required to swear him in come January.

He is one of several newly elected Democrats to register similar committees since Tuesday, among them the senators elect for Iowa and North Carolina and a new Arizona congressman, each with a playfully named PAC.

El Sayed, whose parents emigrated from Egypt, beat Republican Mike Rogers after a bruising race in which Donald Trump, Vance and Senator Ted Cruz questioned his loyalty and tried, without evidence, to tie him to the Muslim Brotherhood. He campaigned on spending public money on lives at home rather than on foreign governments, and on getting money out of politics, telling supporters his win showed the many can beat big money.

The irony of a money focused campaigner launching a fundraising vehicle has not gone unnoticed, but it comes amid the costliest midterms on record. Total spending is projected at about $11.9bn, up from $8.9bn in 2022, with outside spending near $3.9bn and undisclosed donations already above $1.47bn, beating the previous record set in 2024.