Major AI and tech players have poured more than $65 million into the 2026 midterms as dueling political networks vie to shape federal and state rules governing artificial intelligence. A pro-AI spending hub, Leading the Future—backed by figures including OpenAI’s Greg Brockman and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz—has raised nearly $76 million and funneled tens of millions into allied Democratic and Republican super PACs. In response, Public First, supported by Anthropic and led by former Reps. Chris Stewart and Brad Carson, has raised about $80 million to boost candidates favoring stricter AI guardrails. Meta has launched state-focused efforts, committing $20 million in California and $45 million to a national 527, with early spending in Illinois and Texas. The spending spree comes as the Trump administration slows the release of new frontier models and states consider measures such as data-center moratoriums, while opaque “dark money” flows mean the full outlay may remain unclear.
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