Super PACs aligned with the artificial intelligence sector are significantly investing in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, beginning with the first primaries in Texas and North Carolina.
However, these advertisements notably lack any mention of artificial intelligence.
These organizations are striving to influence how AI technologies and firms are regulated across the country, an essential debate that major figures in AI consider critical for the industry’s future, as well as the future of the U.S. and the globe. Instead of focusing on these pivotal policy issues, the super PACs are opting for emotionally charged messaging centered around various contentious topics.
This approach mirrors strategies used by various political groups in different sectors. Nevertheless, the early investments in advertising related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, former President Donald Trump, healthcare, and more are particularly striking, given the extensive changes that AI leaders predict their technologies will create in American labor and society.
The backers of these super PACs are also financing large nonprofit organizations that could play a significant role in shaping public opinion about AI in the coming years. For now, however, this pivotal matter is not a centerpiece in their major political campaigns.
Currently, two rival umbrella organizations are leading the charge in AI-related spending for congressional elections. Leading the Future — backed by substantial contributions from OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his spouse, Anna Brockman, along with investors Marc Andreessen and Benjamin Horowitz — serves as a key super PAC advocating for a national AI framework and opposing varying state regulations that could govern the industry.
At the end of last year, Leading the Future reported having $39 million in assets and is engaging in races through two party-affiliated groups: Think Big, which supports Democratic candidates, and American Mission, which backs Republicans.
In contrast, Public First is another super PAC attempting to counter the influence of Leading the Future and its associated networks. It has received a minimum of $20 million from the AI enterprise Anthropic and advocates for increased regulation of AI technologies. Public First also operates two supportive super PACs: Jobs and Democracy PAC for Democrats and Defending Our Values for Republicans.
Brad Carson, a former congressman and Defense Department official leading Public First, shared with NBC News that while many recognize the significance of the issue, “AI isn’t at the forefront of every voter’s concerns when they go to the polls.”
“Voters are more focused on living costs, corruption, and whether the economy benefits average citizens or just tech moguls. We assert that these concerns are inherently linked to AI,” Carson, a two-term Democratic representative from Oklahoma, explained. “We aim to support candidates who grasp the implications of AI’s rollout and will champion the interests of working families. AI matters now, and it’s essential to have leaders who have contemplated its impacts.”
A segment of New York City is emerging as a primary battleground in this evolving narrative. The highly contested Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler features multiple candidates, but AI-focused groups are zeroing in on one contender: state legislator Alex Bores, an advocate for AI regulatory measures in New York and a former data scientist at Palantir Technologies, who claims he departed due to his discontent with the company’s collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Think Big, an affiliate of Leading the Future, has invested over $1.5 million in campaigns opposing Bores, criticizing him for Palantir’s partnership with ICE, even though one of Palantir’s co-founders, Joe Lonsdale, has expressed support for Bores, who asserts he left the company over his opposition to its actions with ICE.
“It’s clear-cut: Alex Bores’ tech firm has worked for ICE,” states a narrator in a newly released digital advertisement by Think Big.
In response, Jobs and Democracy PAC, linked to Public First, has characterized these ads as manipulative and motivated by profit.
“Right-wing billionaires believe they can purchase this congressional seat, the very individuals who fund hatred, propagate lies, and support ICE raids targeting our community. Their target: Assemblyman Alex Bores, the only candidate who has previously stood up to them,” states the narrator in a recent ad from Jobs and Democracy PAC.
Moreover, Think Big is investing over a million dollars in support of two former Illinois Congress members, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean, in their attempts to return to office. The advertisements for these races highlight their legislative achievements, including support for the Affordable Care Act, well before the AI topic became a matter in Congress. Both Democratic candidates from Illinois are battling in fierce primaries for open congressional seats in the heavily Democratic areas of Chicagoland, with the March primary acting as a de facto general election.
Additionally, Rep. Valerie Foushee is campaigning for re-election in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, facing leftist challenges from Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam. Foushee is part of the Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and is confronted with a significant AI-related controversy regarding a proposal for a new data center.
Foushee has previously advocated for rules concerning data centers to address their energy and environmental ramifications and commented on the data center issue in a recent social media post, expressing that although she does not personally endorse the new data center, she trusts local governance to “make the right decisions.” Allam has condemned the proposal, demanding a halt on new data centers and criticizing Foushee due to AI-related funding directed towards her campaign.
Indeed, Public First is the predominant AI organization making expenditures in this district, planning to allocate over $1.6 million in support of Foushee during the closing weeks of the race.
While the data center discourse unfolds within local politics, it is notably absent from the pro-Foushee advertising, which instead portrays the incumbent as a progressive advocate on matters such as immigration enforcement and accountability for Trump. The AI expenditures have prompted minor opposition from Justice Democrats, a progressive organization backing Allam, which released a new digital advertisement this week addressing the incumbent’s ties with the AI sector.
Both factions are also backing favored candidates in less visible races.
The Republican faction of Lead the Future is investing $500,000 in biographical ads supporting Republican candidates Laurie Buckhout in a competitive North Carolina district, and Chris Gober—a former legal advisor to Elon Musk’s political organization in 2024—in a secure Republican district in Texas.
Similarly, the Public First network is allocating funds to enhance the profiles of two Republican candidates who are likely to win their primaries in Texas without including AI-related messages in their campaigns: Army veteran Alex Mealer and Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz.
The choice to downplay the central theme motivating these organizations is not a novel strategy. Political groups focused on issues like Israel, cryptocurrency, and the environment have historically chosen to engage electorates on more relatable issues, effectively differentiating their election-winning goals from the policy objectives they hope the winners will pursue in office.
Jesse Hunt, a spokesperson for Leading the Future, informed NBC News that the organization is endorsing candidates “who demonstrate strong support for innovation in AI,” noting that they utilize a candidate questionnaire and a review of public declarations and relevant records to further inform their decisions. He remarked that the AI discussion is “still in its early phase” and anticipates significant evolution in upcoming election cycles.
“The current administration has clearly expressed its position on this matter, but other congressional members are beginning to define their stances, contemplating what they expect from these companies, and how this influences their constituents, states, and the national economy,” he stated.
Hunt concluded that public dialogues concerning AI policy “will mature over time as awareness grows.” He added: “This evolution will foster more extensive discussions about the various ways it can enhance many individuals’ lives.”