Republican Strategist's Firm Received $250000 to Oppose El-Sayed

A political controversy surrounding Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has drawn attention to a $250,000 payment made to a Republican strategist's firm for activities opposing his campaign. The Guardian reported that the firm's owner, Timmy Teepell, is the father of Thomas Teepell, the man who challenged El-Sayed during a public event.

According to a filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Breakthrough LLC received the payment from America Next on September 29. The filing described the work as canvassing and influencer marketing against El-Sayed.

The exchange between El-Sayed and Thomas Teepell subsequently attracted more than 50 million views across several social media platforms. The encounter centered on a question about El-Sayed's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Thomas Teepell asked whether El-Sayed would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed responded by agreeing to do so before challenging the premise of the question and asking about constitutional protections for religious freedom.

The Guardian reported that the FEC filing does not establish that Thomas Teepell received money from Breakthrough LLC or America Next. Timmy Teepell, Thomas Teepell, America Next and Senator Josh Hawley's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Timmy Teepell has worked as a political strategist for Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley and former Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal. Hawley's campaign committee has also paid Breakthrough LLC, according to the report.

America Next, a nonprofit organization established by Jindal in 2013, has sought to generate opposition to El-Sayed at public meetings. The organization does not disclose its donors, and its website continues to publish Jindal's columns.

A report by the Handbasket previously described efforts to generate what organizers characterized as organic opposition to El-Sayed. On October 1, a University of Michigan College Republicans member reportedly offered students $200 to boo and question the candidate at a town hall in Flint, saying the effort was being undertaken on behalf of America Next.

According to the FEC filing, the payment to Breakthrough LLC was intended for "canvassing and influencer marketing" opposing El-Sayed. The filing represented the only independent expenditure America Next had reported since 2015, when it paid OnMessage Inc. for television advertising supporting Jindal's presidential campaign.

Other tax filings provide additional information about America Next's funding. American Action Network contributed $500,000 for "issue support" during the tax year ending in June 2022, according to its filing. Secure Florida's Future contributed another $250,000 in 2022, according to its own records.

America Next reported $5,066,000 in contributions for the year ending in July 2024. Its 2022 tax filing recorded $10,130,638 in total expenses, including $5,020,808 paid to OnMessage Inc. for "media services and consulting".

FEC records also show that America Next has provided at least $1,475,000 to Republican super political action committees since 2018. The organization's financial activities have therefore extended beyond its reported work opposing El-Sayed.

The report also identified connections between Timmy Teepell and the ministry of Christian musician Sean Feucht. Pennsylvania business records list Teepell as a director of the ministry, which owns a townhouse on Capitol Hill in Washington. The ministry's publicly available 2020 tax return listed John Feucht, Robert Zoellner and Alvin Chun as directors but did not name Teepell.

That return reported ministry revenue of $5,314,148 in 2020, compared with $283,526 in 2019. The Internal Revenue Service now classifies Sean Feucht Ministries as a church, a category not required to file public returns, and no return after 2020 was listed in the records cited by the report.

In June 2025, former staff members accused Feucht of "potential financial crimes" and spiritual abuse. They also alleged that "the members of Mr Feucht's board have potentially failed in their fiduciary duty to exercise appropriate oversight", according to Religion News Service.

Feucht rejected the allegations in a video posted on June 11, 2025. He said "none of those allegations are true" and described his accusers as "embittered, angry, upset … former volunteers" who "know nothing about our financial situation".

Feucht also defended the handling of donations, saying, "Every single penny that has been raised that you guys out there have donated has gone to fulfill its kingdom-ordained purpose."

Separately, a California donor filed a federal lawsuit against Sean Feucht Ministries over a $250,000 donation solicited in 2023 for Feucht's Let Us Worship tour. The complaint alleged that the money was "diverted, in whole or in part, to other uses controlled by Mr Feucht".

A judge dismissed the original complaint in September, finding that the fraud allegations lacked sufficient specificity, but allowed the donor to amend the filing. An amended complaint was submitted on September 30. The ministry argued that the claims were time-barred and barred by the church autonomy doctrine.

Feucht has publicly supported Timmy Teepell's political work. At an event in Florida, he prayed, "We pray that Timmy would put more revivalists in public office," according to Religion News Service.

Teepell was also scheduled to speak at Feucht's "Hold the Line" conference at the Trump International hotel in Washington on September 11, 2021. The event listing identified his session as "2022 Forecast and Polling" and gave his name as "Timmy Teeple".

The report also noted that a University of Michigan College Republicans member had offered students money to challenge El-Sayed at the Flint town hall. The available filings do not establish that Thomas Teepell was paid by either America Next or Breakthrough LLC.