Pro-AI Super PACs Are Already All In on the Midterms

Steven

Pro-AI Super PACs Are Already All In on the Midterms

Summary

Silicon Valley is already deploying tens of millions of dollars to shape the 2026 midterms around AI policy. New and well-funded pro-AI super PACs, led by groups such as Leading the Future (backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI figures), are running ads and backing candidates who oppose aggressive state-level AI rules and favour a national framework. Big tech players including Meta have pledged similar spending. Their effort is meeting organised resistance: bipartisan groups and safety-focused coalitions are forming counter-PACs to promote AI guardrails. The contest frames a broader fight over federal preemption, state innovation rules, national security rhetoric about China, and public scepticism about AI and tech power.

Key Points

  1. Leading the Future, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI-linked donors, has more than $100m and is actively funding ads against candidates who supported strong state AI laws.
  2. Pro-AI ads target state and congressional races; some messaging emphasises a single national policy over a patchwork of state laws.
  3. Meta and other major tech firms have pledged ‘tens of millions’ to support state-level candidates that favour AI progress.
  4. Pro-crypto PAC playbooks (eg Fairshake) are being reused; political operatives and large war chests are central to the strategy.
  5. Federal actors, including the White House and the Trump administration, have signalled support for national preemption of stricter state AI laws.
  6. Opposition groups have organised: Public First (bipartisan) plans to raise sizeable funds to back candidates pushing for AI safeguards.
  7. Polling shows strong public support for AI safety rules, suggesting money alone may not guarantee political wins for pro-AI candidates.
  8. The contest marks an escalation: tech industry influence is moving from lobbying into direct electoral interventions aimed at shaping regulatory outcomes.

Context and Relevance

This story matters because it explains how the AI-regulation fight has moved from policy briefings and think-tank memos into campaign ads, TV buys, and state-level races. With states like New York and California already passing disclosure and safety laws, pro-AI interests are pushing for federal rules that would preempt state initiatives. That directly affects developers, startups, regulators, and voters: the winners of this political battle will shape who writes the rules for safety testing, transparency, data use and commercial deployment of advanced AI. It also ties into wider trends — corporate political spending, concerns about data centres and local impacts, and geopolitical framing (the ‘race with China’) used to justify lighter regulation.

Author style

Punchy — this is an early, decisive play in a major regulatory battle. If you follow AI policy, tech politics or campaign finance, read the detail: it shows which moneyed actors are aligning, where the ads are landing, and why state-versus-federal conflict will define the next phase of AI lawmaking.

Why should I read this?

Look, if you care about who ends up writing the rules for AI — and that should include pretty much everyone who uses or builds tech — this is where the action starts. Big money is already choosing candidates, and that will shape whether we get strong safety rules or a single lax national framework. Read it to know which players are backing who, and how those moves could affect regulation, competition and public trust.

Source

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/ai-super-pacs-trying-to-influence-midterms/