US Senate candidate offered $20M to run against Muslim Rep. Rashida Tlaib

WASHINGTON

Democratic candidate Hill Harper has said that he was offered $20 million in campaign support by a businessman to drop his Senate bid and challenge American Palestinian Representative Rashida Tlaib in a primary race in the US state of Michigan.

The Politico news website, which initially broke the news citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter, reported that Harper declined the alleged offer from donor Linden Nelson during a call on Oct. 16.

In a post on Wednesday, Harper said "he did not intend for a private phone call to become public, but now that it has, here’s the truth," adding that one of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)'s largest donors offered him $20 million to run against Tlaib.

"I said no. I won’t be bossed, bullied, or bought," Harper wrote.

Tlaib has recently been a focal point in the US political arena due to her remarks against Israel and her advocacy for a cease-fire in Gaza amid Tel Aviv's conflict with Hamas. The House also passed a censure against the Muslim lawmaker earlier this month.

In the US, congressional elections are held every two years, during which all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, while one-thirds of the 100 seats in the Senate are contested.

In these elections, members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, while members of the Senate serve six-year terms.

The number of representatives from each state in the House of Representatives is determined based on the population density of the electoral districts within the states, whereas each state is represented by two senators.