Back
AI super PAC fundraising for midterms disclosed to Democrats and Republicans
webRelevant to AI governance watchers tracking how the AI industry is mobilizing political influence to shape federal regulation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Metadata
Importance: 42/100news articlenews
Summary
The AI industry-backed super PAC 'Leading the Future' raised $125 million in the second half of 2025 and entered 2026 with $70 million on hand, aiming to influence AI regulation through the midterm elections. Key donors include OpenAI's Greg Brockman, Andreessen Horowitz partners, and Perplexity, with individuals contributing up to $12.5 million each. The PAC and its affiliates plan to shape policy on AI ethics, data privacy, data centers, and energy usage.
Key Points
- •Leading the Future super PAC raised $125M in H2 2025, holding $70M cash entering 2026 midterm cycle.
- •Top donors include Greg Brockman ($12.5M), Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz ($12.5M each), and Perplexity.
- •The PAC aims to steer AI regulations favorably for the industry, targeting 2026 congressional races.
- •Key policy issues include AI ethics, data privacy, data center expansion, and energy usage.
- •The effort represents a significant escalation of direct AI industry political spending at the federal level.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Leading the Future super PAC | Organization | 73.0 |
Cached Content Preview
HTTP 200Fetched Mar 20, 202618 KB
### [Capitol Gains: How Congress Gets Rich — A NOTUS Report Illuminates the Personal Finances of House and Senate Members.](https://www.notus.org/capitol-gains)
[Money](https://www.notus.org/money)
# AI Industry Super PAC Enters Midterm Elections With a $70 Million War Chest
The Leading the Future super PAC and its affiliates are attempting to steer AI regulations in their favor.
The U.S. Capitol.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
By [Samuel Larreal](https://www.notus.org/samuel-larreal) and
[Taylor Giorno](https://www.notus.org/taylor-giorno)
January 30, 202611:32 AM
Updated:January 30, 202604:19 PM
- [Email](mailto:?body=AI%20Industry%20Super%20PAC%20Enters%20Midterm%20Elections%20With%20a%20%2470%20Million%20War%20Chest%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.notus.org%2Fmoney%2Fai-super-pac-fundraising-midterms-democrats-republicans%0A%0AThe%20Leading%20the%20Future%20super%20PAC%20and%20its%20affiliates%20are%20attempting%20to%20steer%20AI%20regulations%20in%20their%20favor.)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.notus.org%2Fmoney%2Fai-super-pac-fundraising-midterms-democrats-republicans&mini=true&title=AI%20Industry%20Super%20PAC%20Enters%20Midterm%20Elections%20With%20a%20%2470%20Million%20War%20Chest&summary=The%20Leading%20the%20Future%20super%20PAC%20and%20its%20affiliates%20are%20attempting%20to%20steer%20AI%20regulations%20in%20their%20favor.&source=NOTUS)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.notus.org%2Fmoney%2Fai-super-pac-fundraising-midterms-democrats-republicans&text=AI%20Industry%20Super%20PAC%20Enters%20Midterm%20Elections%20With%20a%20%2470%20Million%20War%20Chest)
- Copy
Link copied
Leading the Future, an artificial intelligence industry-backed super PAC, along with affiliated super PACs and nonprofit advocacy groups, raised $125 million in the second half of 2025 and entered this year with $70 million in cash on hand, according to the committee.
It’s a massive political war chest for the [AI industry](https://www.notus.org/technology/grok-ai-images-republicans-content-moderation) entering the [2026 midterm election](https://www.notus.org/republicans/latinas-for-trump-trump-immigration-lose-midterms-stephen-miller), when issues such as [data centers](https://www.notus.org/technology/data-centers-community-investment), energy usage, data privacy and artificial intelligence ethics are likely to become key campaign issues.
Among the main donors to Leading the Future last year were OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman, venture capitalists Joe Lonsdale and Ron Conway, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and AI internet browsing company Perplexity, according to the super PAC.
Leading the Future raised a
... (truncated, 18 KB total)Resource ID:
50f9be41676e5b31 | Stable ID: NTIyMWI1MT