Bernie’s Cash Bomb Hits

Elderly man in glasses speaks at an outdoor event. — Photo: Shutterstock

Bernie Sanders is spending millions of his own campaign money to try to save Democrats in November.

Quick Take

Sanders’ campaign had nearly $23 million on hand as of July 1 and is now moving hundreds of thousands of dollars to battleground candidates.
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan is getting direct help in her Senate race, along with attorney general candidate Keith Ellison.
Florida state Representative Angie Nixon is also set to receive cash and campaign star power from Sanders.
Sanders has endorsed seven candidates for 2026 and says “there could be more to come.”
Senior Democrats reportedly worry his primary endorsements forced them to spend money fighting each other instead of Republicans.

Sanders Opens His War Chest For Battleground Democrats

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is putting real money behind his midterm favorites. His campaign had close to $ 23 million as of July 1, 2026.

Politico reported he is now sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who is running for Senate. Sanders’ own campaign confirmed the transfer, along with a second person familiar with the arrangement.

EXCLUSIVE: Bernie Sanders is cracking open his war chest.

The Vermont senator is putting hundreds of thousands of dollars toward key campaigns and has raised $2.8 million for his preferred candidates this cycle.https://t.co/rtKlmhEVgN

— POLITICO (@politico) September 30, 2026

Sanders told reporters he wants Democrats to win three specific Senate seats this cycle: Michigan, Minnesota, and Florida. He called the candidates in those races “three great candidates” worth fighting for. That list lines up directly with where his money is now flowing, showing his cash follows his public priorities rather than sitting on the sidelines.

Florida And Minnesota Both Get A Piece Of The Pie

In Florida, Sanders is preparing to spend part of his war chest to boost state Representative Angie Nixon, a candidate progressives argue national Democrat leadership overlooked.

Politico’s Florida Playbook newsletter reported Sanders is ready to bring both cash and his own star power to that race, campaigning alongside Nixon rather than just cutting a check from afar.

Minnesota is getting a double dose of Sanders support. Beyond Flanagan’s Senate bid, he is also backing Keith Ellison’s campaign for state attorney general.

Sanders has already endorsed seven candidates for statewide and congressional office heading into 2026, and he has told allies he could add more names to that list before the midterms wrap up.

Not Every Democrat Is Thrilled With The Strategy

Sanders spent months traveling the country to help progressive candidates win competitive primaries, and those wins came with a cost. Senior Democrats in Washington argue Sanders forced the party to burn cash fighting itself in primaries instead of saving it for Republicans in November.

Money is pouring into these races from every direction, not just from Sanders. The Hill reported Sanders raised $ 11.5 million between January and March alone, while fellow progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought in $ 9.6 million over the same stretch.

Federal Election Commission filings show Democrats broadly out-raised Republicans in several key Senate races this past quarter, with Georgia’s Jon Ossoff pulling in almost ten times what his Republican opponent collected.

Sanders Wants Limits On Everyone Else’s Money, Too

Sanders has not stopped at spending his own funds. He sent a letter to Democrat leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries demanding the party reject corporate-backed super political action committee money in primaries, noting those groups have already spent over 517 million dollars this midterm cycle.

A wealthy incumbent senator lecturing others about outside cash while directing his own war chest toward hand-picked candidates creates obvious tension.

Sanders has also warned that artificial intelligence companies plan to spend more than $ 300 million this cycle through groups like Leading the Future, which alone has raised over $ 140 million.

Federal law does allow campaigns to transfer unlimited funds to party committees, and it permits spending on fundraising and organizing efforts connected to elections.

Sanders using his own war chest this way is legal, but it puts him in the same big-money game he regularly criticizes Republicans and corporations for playing.