AI PACs spend millions on 2026 midterms with mixed results
Original title: AI PACs spent millions trying to shape Congress. Here’s how they fared.
AI industry and safeguards groups backed candidates in the midterms with mixed outcomes, focusing spending on future races.
Political groups supporting and opposing the AI industry spent millions influencing the 2026 midterms. American Mission, the Republican arm of Leading the Future backed by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Andreessen Horowitz, spent $4.8 million backing a losing South Carolina Senate candidate. Think Big, LTF's Democratic arm, saw better success backing a winning Florida representative. Safeguards groups like Public First and Guardrails Alliance also had mixed results in their contributions.
Unconfirmed: The influence of AI-related spending is difficult to separate from the broader Democratic wave in the elections
- American Mission spent over $500,000 each on two losing House candidates
- Guardrails Alliance spent over $1 million opposing two AI-backed candidates
- Leading the Future plans continued spending ahead of 2028 elections
- Guardrails Alliance aims to make AI company contributions politically toxic
From the original article
3 min read at techcrunch.com
AI industry PACs spent millions influencing the 2026 midterms, with mixed results. Political groups are already looking toward the next election cycle.
By Rebecca Bellan · techcrunch.com
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