Influential Detroit pastor and radio host Horace Sheffield III enthusiastically endorsed Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a radio interview last week, urging listeners to make "5 and 10 phone calls" to help propel the left-wing Democrat to victory. Unmentioned in the glowing interview was that El-Sayed's campaign has paid tens of thousands of dollars to Sheffield's nonprofit organization.

El-Sayed's campaign has paid $75,000 to Ecumenical Ministers Alliance, a nonprofit that Sheffield incorporated in 2010, for "political consulting," according to campaign finance disclosures. The campaign has made 10 payments of $7,500 to the nonprofit from Oct. 21 to June 1, records show.

Sheffield was suspended from his previous radio station in 2018 after he endorsed the failed gubernatorial candidate Rep. Shri Thanedar (D., Mich.), who'd paid his nonprofit tens of thousands of dollars, also for "consulting."

Last week's radio interview is at least the third time Sheffield, the pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship, has boosted El-Sayed on his radio show or in social media posts, all without disclosing the financial relationship. The pastor's endorsements are especially helpful to El-Sayed, who badly trails his primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, in support from black voters.

Sheffield endorsed El-Sayed in a Dec. 6 interview on his show, The Wake-Up Call, pledging to "put my full force of soldiers" behind El-Sayed. He recorded a social media video at El-Sayed's campaign headquarters on June 20, expressing confidence that El-Sayed will defeat  Stevens in Michigan's Aug. 4 primary. The Ecumenical Ministers Alliance, which is registered to Sheffield's home address, endorsed El-Sayed last month. El-Sayed has said he is "deeply honored" to have Sheffield's support and lists the endorsement on his campaign website.

The political "payola" could prove politically awkward for El-Sayed while raising questions for Sheffield and his radio station, FaithTalk 101.5 FM. The station's owner, Salem Media, which describes itself as a "Christian and conservative media leader," operates under FCC political broadcasting rules that require stations to provide equal air time to political candidates.

In 2024, then-president-elect Donald Trump threatened MSNBC with FCC regulation following the Washington Free Beacon report that Kamala Harris's campaign paid $500,000 to Al Sharpton's nonprofit, the National Action Network, just before she appeared on Sharpton's MSNBC show.

Perhaps fittingly, Sheffield is president of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network. Sheffield referred to Sharpton as his "long time friend" after receiving a lifetime achievement award from Sharpton at National Action Network headquarters in 2015.

Sheffield, father of current Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield, lavished praise on El-Sayed during their recent interview, echoing the Democrat's campaign talking points on corporate PAC money and Medicare for All. Sheffield urged supporters to vote for El-Sayed, and attacked Stevens, a moderate Democrat who leads El-Sayed by 46 points among black Michigan voters. Sheffield referred to Stevens as "the person who is running" and said she "has never been seen" in Detroit.

"Lord, help this man win," said Sheffield.

"You can't buy authenticity," said El-Sayed.

Sheffield has been caught in a similar scheme before.

In 2018, Sheffield was suspended from his radio station at the time, WFDF, after he endorsed gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar during a radio interview without disclosing that Thanedar had paid tens of thousands of dollars to Sheffield's nonprofit for campaign work. Sheffield endorsed Thanedar, now a progressive member of the House, over eventual winner Gretchen Whitmer and El-Sayed.

"I've got an FCC license that I have to worry about. You have to offer equal time to every candidate," WFDF owner John Adell told the Detroit Free Press.

Sheffield vowed after the fiasco: "I won't be involved in any more campaigns."

That same year, three Michigan political candidates—Kevin Robbins, Tracy Green, and Terra Defoe—each paid Sheffield's nonprofit $750 for "endorsement fees," according to Michigan campaign finance records.

It is unclear how much income, if any, Sheffield takes from Ecumenical Ministers Alliance.

"We completely reject the endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed made during this paid programming," a Salem Media spokeswoman told the Free Beacon.

"Pastor Horace Sheffield is not a Salem Media employee and has no affiliation with Salem Media other than purchasing airtime for his independently produced program. Salem Media is supporting Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate, and the views expressed during this paid program do not reflect the views of our company."

El-Sayed's campaign and Sheffield did not respond to requests for comment.