Silicon Valley is already pouring tens of millions of dollars into the midterm elections taking place across the US in 2026, as the tech industry’s war over AI regulation moves decisively into American politics. Technology executives, investors, and companies tied to the AI boom are funding a new network of AI-focused super PACS, which is poised to make AI a major issue in this year’s state and federal elections races.
The election spending marks a sharp escalation of the AI regulation debate that has divided Silicon Valley for years.
In the absence of federal action, state lawmakers in New York, California, and Colorado have passed laws in the past year requiring large AI developers to disclose safety practices and assess risks such as algorithmic discrimination. As states offer up their own ideas about how to regulate AI, their efforts have been met with great pushback from the White House. David Sacks, the White House AI czar, has repeatedly argued that American AI progress is existential in its race against China. In December, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to challenge state AI laws that conflict with less-strict federal policy, and urging Congress to establish a national AI framework that would preempt state regulations.
This has set up decisive battle lines, with concerned lawmakers, AI researchers, safety-focused startups, and nonprofit groups pushing for guardrails on advanced AI models on one side, while Silicon Valley’s largest companies and investors on the other argue that aggressive state-level laws could hamper AI progress.
Rather than just lobbying against those efforts, the AI industry is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign to elect politicians that will be friendly to their cause. This new wave of political spending groups adds yet another layer of pressure on lawmakers advancing AI safety efforts.
Pro-AI PACs
The largest of these is Leading the Future, a super PAC with more than $100 million in backing from venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, as well as OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman. While super PACs typically don’t lay out their overarching strategies, the political group has been unusually outspoken about its goal to oppose candidates who champion state-level AI regulation.
“We are looking to advance a national regulatory framework for AI and avoid the patchwork of states,” Josh Vlasto, a leader of the super PAC, tells WIRED. “That includes ensuring job creation and innovation, protecting kids and communities, and winning the race against China. We’ll support candidates that champion that and oppose those that don’t.”
In December, the group launched its first television ads targeting a few specific congressional races.
One ad targets New York state assemblymember Alex Bores, the coauthor of a recently signed law requiring major AI developers to report safety testing practices. Bores is running in a crowded primary race to replace representative Jerry Nadler in New York’s 12th congressional district. The television ad, which Leading the Future announced was paid for by two of the PACs in its network, specifically mentions Bores’ stance on AI, claiming his legislation contributes to a “patchwork” of AI laws and arguing that “America needs one smart national policy that sets clear standards for safe AI.”
“Let’s be clear, these AI billionaires have one goal: unlimited power and unlimited profits for themselves,” Bores told WIRED, in response to the ad. “I stand in the way of that and encourage voters to judge me by my enemies.”
Another ad funded by Leading the Future’s network of PACs supports Chris Gober, a lawyer who previously helped Elon Musk’s America PAC raise more than $170 million to support Trump’s 2024 election bid. Gober is campaigning for a seat in Texas’ 10th congressional district. The ad from Leading the Future, which has now been deleted from YouTube, reportedly did not mention AI at all, instead calling Gober a true “Trump conservative” who will focus on “promoting American technology investment.”
Brockman and OpenAI did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. Andreessen Horowitz pointed WIRED toward a post on X from its head of government affairs, Collin McCune, which says America is in “a race with China.”
“If we don’t have the right policies, we risk ceding the future of AI—and with it, America’s economic strength and national security,” the post reads. Gober did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Meta has also pledged to spend “tens of millions” of dollars on electing candidates at the state level who embrace AI progress. Last year, the company announced it was launching two new super PACs to support candidates that align with its policies: the American Technology Excellence Project and Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California (META California).
In a statement sent to WIRED, Meta’s VP of public policy, Brian Rice, says that the “growing patchwork of inconsistent regulations” threaten America’s investments in AI and that “state lawmakers are uniquely positioned to ensure that America remains a global technology leader.”
Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, tells WIRED that AI companies are hoping to run a playbook that worked well for the tech industry in 2024’s election cycle. Two years ago, pro-crypto super PACs spent more than $130 million, largely through a group called Fairshake, to get favorable candidates into office. That sum of money was unprecedented at the time, and the effort was largely successful. Now it’s becoming routine.
Many of the same political operatives are back—one of Leading the Future’s top officials, Vlasto, is a spokesperson for Fairshake—but Haworth argues that it could be more difficult to lobby for tech-friendly candidates this time around. Polling shows that voters have strong feelings about AI, suggesting they care more about its regulation than previous technologies.
“I have run super PACs, and I have been on the losing end even when we had a spending advantage,” says Haworth. “When you are fighting public opinion, money only goes so far. That’s what the AI industry is up against right now. We’ve seen survey after survey showing that Americans are skeptical of AI, they’re distrustful of the tech CEOs, and they hate the data centers.”
Beyond AI-focused SuperPACs, Silicon Valley is poised to influence American elections taking place this year through numerous channels. Elon Musk donated $10 million to a Kentucky race to replace retiring US senator Mitch McConnell, signaling that the world’s richest man could play a meaningful role in the 2026 midterms. Fairshake has more than $116 million on hand heading into 2026 and says it plans to continue backing candidates in this upcoming election.
The Opposition
As pro-AI industry groups pour money into US elections, a broad coalition has emerged to push for stronger guardrails on artificial intelligence.
Former US representatives Chris Stewart and Brad Carson launched a bipartisan super PAC in December to promote AI safeguards as a means to counter pro-AI groups in the 2026 elections. The group, called Public First, says it expects to raise $50 million but has yet to share who its backers are. Because the group is organized as a 501(c)4, it’s not obligated to share all the groups that fund it.
“There are no secret groups behind us; this was purely Chris’ and my idea,” Carson tells WIRED. “When we saw Leading the Future announced, we realized there needs to be something to counteract it, something that will give people the freedom to engage in AI policy.”
Employees from major AI labs including Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI have all expressed interest in backing Public First, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity.
Coefficient Giving, one of the most prolific financiers of AI safety efforts in Silicon Valley, appears to not be directly involved with Public First. A spokesperson for the nonprofit, which used to be called Open Philanthropy and was started by Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife, Cari Tuna, tells WIRED that it is not funding Public First.
Public First has not shared which congressional campaigns it plans to support. Carson declined to share whether the group would back Scott Wiener, the California state senator behind one of the nation’s strongest AI safety laws, in his campaign to replace Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th congressional district. Carson did tell WIRED that Wiener has been a leader in the space, and Public First is hopeful for his campaign.
While Carson’s super PACs have less financial backing than his opposition, he argues that he’s fighting an easier battle, because he has public opinion on his side. A recent poll from Gallup suggested that 80 percent of US adults believe the government “should maintain rules for AI safety and data security,” even if that means slowing progress.
“Democratic, Republican, every kind of sub-demographic group you can identify, all of them support reasonable guardrails on artificial intelligence,” says Carson. “I think we have a much easier sell.”
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