By PEDRO RODRIGUEZ, The Daily Signal | September 21, 2026
A 7-Eleven franchisee, sued by former President Joe Biden’s administration, held a fundraiser for Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed earlier this month.
Ali Haider, the owner of multiple 7-Eleven stores in western Michigan, was sued by the Department of Labor in 2023 after he allegedly denied 13 employees overtime pay. Haider eventually agreed to pay more than $35,000 to the employees as part of a settlement agreement.
“This case’s quick resolution puts hard-earned wages and damages into the pockets of 13 workers and sends a strong message to business owners that the Department of Labor will not tolerate wage theft and attempts to mask violations of federal wage laws,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Mary O’Rourke in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said after the settlement. “Employers have a legal obligation to pay workers all of their earned wages or face potentially costly consequences.”
Despite his previous wrongdoing, Haider, the current general secretary of the Pakistani Association of Michigan, donated nearly $2,000 to El-Sayed’s Senate campaign, according to campaign disclosures, before hosting a fundraiser for the candidate titled “Muslims for Abdul” in September.
El-Sayed’s campaign and Haider did not respond to the Daily Signal’s requests for comment.
One attendee said more than $250,000 was raised for El-Sayed at the fundraiser, The Washington Free Beacon wrote, although the total remains unclear.
The money raked in by the campaign during the fundraiser now leaves El-Sayed’s senate bid with over $4.5 million, giving him the No. 1 spot on ActBlue, the Democrats’ dominant fundraising platform.
As it stands, El-Sayed is seen as having the advantage in local polls. He leads Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., by about 3% after upsetting Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens and state lawmaker Mallory McMorrow in the primary election in August.
El-Sayed has run on a platform of “Medicare for All,” defeating President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington, and raising taxes on the rich. He has received the endorsement of far-left figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and controversial online influencer Hasan Piker.
Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez-Aparicio is a journalism fellow at the Daily Signal.
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