AI Companies Are Spending Millions To Shape Elections. Now The Biggest Fight Is Over Who Writes The Rules For AI.
As Congress continues debating how to regulate artificial intelligence, companies in the field are spending heavily in the 2026 midterm elections in an effort to support candidates who will help shape the country’s first major AI laws.
The two largest artificial intelligence political action committees (PACs) have raised more than $200 million and have already spent at least $44 million backing candidates in House and Senate races through the end of June, according to a CNBC analysis of Federal Election Commission filings. The spending reflects the AI industry’s growing political influence as lawmakers weigh how to regulate rapidly advancing technologies.
Most candidates supported by the two PACs have so far won their primary elections. Leading the Future has backed 28 candidates, with 25 winning their primaries, two still awaiting elections, and one losing. The organization also spent against former New York Assembly member Alex Bores in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District. Public First Action has supported candidates in 11 races, and all of its endorsed candidates except Bores have won, CNBC detailed.
Brad Carson, president of Public First Action, said lawmakers have introduced an increasing number of AI-related bills as concerns grow over the capabilities and risks of advanced AI models. Carson said there is broad agreement across the political spectrum that some form of government oversight is necessary.
Josh Vlasto, co-leader of Leading the Future, also emphasized the importance of establishing a regulatory framework while AI technologies continue to be adopted across industries.
The political strategy follows a pattern seen in recent election cycles, when well-funded industry groups increased campaign spending to influence legislation affecting their businesses. During the 2024 election cycle, the cryptocurrency-backed Fairshake PAC spent roughly $200 million supporting candidates from both major political parties. That campaign was followed by passage of federal stablecoin legislation and continued movement on broader digital asset proposals, Reuters reported.
Leading the Future said it had raised approximately $125 million by the end of 2025. The organization said contributors include venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, SV Angel founder Ron Conway and AI startup Perplexity. Through June, the PAC had spent more than $24 million on primary races.
Public First Action announced that it had raised $80 million through the end of June and has spent roughly $20 million so far during the election cycle. Anthropic disclosed contributing $20 million to the organization, although the company said the donation was restricted to public education on AI policy rather than political activity. Carson said the PAC has also received donations from employees at OpenAI, Google, DeepMind and X, according to CNBC.
Although the two organizations have occasionally opposed each other in individual races, their policy positions overlap on several issues. Both support establishing safeguards for artificial intelligence and have expressed support for measures aimed at protecting children online. Their largest policy difference centers on whether Congress should create a single federal framework that overrides state AI laws.
Leading the Future supports what it describes as a broad national regulatory framework while maintaining that states can continue playing a role. Vlasto pointed to the group’s support for New York’s RAISE Act after amendments reduced reporting requirements and lowered penalties for AI companies. The organization nevertheless opposed Alex Bores, one of the lawmakers who helped draft an earlier version of the legislation.
Public First Action has generally favored allowing states to regulate AI unless Congress enacts what Carson described as a comprehensive national framework. Carson said preemption would naturally follow if Washington adopted a complete federal approach.
The debate has also divided lawmakers on Capitol Hill. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said state AI laws are creating obstacles for innovation and argued that federal preemption should form the basis of congressional legislation, CNBC reported. Meanwhile, Representative Ted Lieu, co-chair of a House Democratic commission on AI, said there is bipartisan opposition to overriding state laws without replacing them with meaningful federal standards.
Congress has steadily expanded its focus on artificial intelligence over the past two years as governments worldwide respond to increasingly sophisticated AI systems. The European Union’s AI Act entered into force last year, becoming the world’s first comprehensive legal framework governing artificial intelligence, while governments including the United States, United Kingdom and members of the G7 have increased cooperation on AI safety, governance and national security, according to Associated Press.
