In a recent development, a Michigan-based businessman, Linden Nelsen, allegedly proposed a $20 million offer to Hill Harper, a Democrat candidate for the Michigan Senate.
The proposition was for Harper to abandon his current campaign and instead, challenge House Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan. However, Harper reportedly declined the offer.
The New York Times reported that the offer was made last month, as confirmed by Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesperson for Harper's campaign. Ganapathy described the interaction between Harper and Nelsen as "respectful on both sides."
While Harper and Tlaib were unavailable for comment, Harper took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his stance. "I will not be bought, or bossed, or bullied," he wrote on Wednesday. Harper further elaborated on his commitment to his campaign, stating, "For me, this isnt about one person or one phone call. Its about a broken political and campaign finance system thats tilted towards the wealthy and powerful. Im running for the U.S. Senate because I believe the wealthy and powerful have too much representation in Washington. Im running to be a voice for the people."
Politico was the first to report on the allegations of the offer. They managed to contact Nelsen briefly on Wednesday, but the call ended abruptly, and Nelsen did not respond to further attempts to reach him.
Harper, an actor and entrepreneur, is currently campaigning to succeed Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan. Despite the challenges, he has positioned himself as a progressive candidate and has echoed other Democrats' calls for a ceasefire earlier this month. Tlaib has also expressed support for a ceasefire.
In a statement, Harper wrote, "The answers to ensure long-term peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians are neither simple nor pain-free, but one truth stands firm: violence against defenseless children, trapped and frightened, is abhorrent, regardless of who is behind it."
Tlaib, a member of the progressive "Squad," was censured this month for her comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Fox News Digital reported last week that the group has been accused of glorifying Hamas in its conflict with Israel, following the terror group's attack that resulted in the death of hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians.
The group's founder, Maher Abdel-qader, who has ties to Tlaib and other liberal politicians, has previously faced criticism for his antisemitic social media posts, including questioning the occurrence of the Holocaust.
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