A Stronger Michigan

Background

A Stronger Michigan was registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as a Super PAC on June 1, 2026, and it was reported that on June 2 it began purchasing television and digital advertising. The committee’s FEC filings listed a mailing address in McLean, Virginia that corresponds to a private residence owed by Jefferies Murray, the founder of the lobbying firm 535 Group and a board member of Center Forward, which reporting has identified as a major funder. ^{5 1}

According to reporting by Sludge and OpenSecrets, Center Forward had reportedly donated approximately $10.9 million of the over $11 million A Stronger Michigan had raised by June 30. In addition, approximately $150,000 in funding was from Michigan Forward 2026, a Texas-based super PAC funded partially by KIND Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky, the American Chemistry Council, and the American Foundation for Good Government.  ^{2 6}

By June 30, A Stronger Michigan directed most of its funds towards media consulting firms Waterfront Strategies and Great American Media. That same month, the Super PAC received a cease-and-desist letter from the United Auto Workers (UAW) for allegedly using the union’s logo in advertisements supporting Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) without authorization. The UAW had previously endorsed Stevens’ primary opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, in June 2026. ^{7 8}

Activities

A Stronger Michigan supported the campaign of Rep. Haley Stevens’s campaign for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, spending over $16 million supporting her campaign by July 30, 2026.  ⁹ On August 5, Rep. Stevens lost the nomination to former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed. ^{10  11} According to reporting by OpenSecrets, by July 30 A Stronger Michigan had spent more than $16 million on advertising supporting Rep. Stevens’ campaign since its formation. Ad-tracking firm AdImpact also reported that pro-Stevens super PACs had spent a combined $29 million against a combined $23.2 million raised directly by the El-Sayed campaign. ^{12  9}

On July 24, 2026, disclosures showed that in a single two-week period, A Stronger Michigan and United Democracy Project together spent $12.1 million supporting Stevens, dwarfing the $921,000 Stevens raised directly from donors over the same period. ¹²

On June 30, it was reported that A Stronger Michigan had spent roughly $1.8 million in support of Rep. Stevens’s campaign several hours after the super PAC United Democracy Project had spent $3.4 million supporting her campaign, equaling over $5.2 million within a three-hour period of time.  ¹³

Funding

A Stronger Michigan’s FEC filings do not show the source of most of its funds as its primary funder, Center Forward, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit and is not required to disclose its donors. Center Forward’s own IRS filings list Jefferies Murray as its principal officer and treasurer. Murray also is treasurer of the separate Center Forward Committee super PAC, which itself spent nearly $1 million in May 2026 supporting the campaign of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) . ²