Anthropic · OpenAI · US Congress · US Senate · NPR Technology
An AI proxy war could reshape Congress, before Congress reshapes AI
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Scott Kwiatkowski from takes part in a demonstration at the Utah State Capitol to oppose the construction of a data center in the state on May 23, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Key facts
- Billionaire crypto investor Chris Larsen, who has spent millions on local and state races in California this year, launched a super PAC called You Can Push Back that's spent nearly $2 million backing
- In 2025, OpenAI, Meta, Google parent Alphabet, and AI chipmaker Nvidia spent a combined $50.9 million lobbying members of Congress, according to a review of federal reports by Issue One
- Scott Kwiatkowski from takes part in a demonstration at the Utah State Capitol to oppose the construction of a data center in the state on May 23, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Public First-affiliated PACs, including Jobs and Democracy and Defending Their Values, have spent $16.6 million so far on congressional races in states including North Carolina, Texas and Utah
Summary
Stay up to date with their Politics newsletter, sent weekly. Groups tied to the artificial intelligence industry are flooding money into the midterms in hopes of shaping future AI regulation. Around the country, groups associated with AI and tech are trying to influence elections from Senate races to local offices, even as Americans register increasing discomfort with the technology's ramifications for jobs, energy bills and society. The campaign blitz comes against a backdrop of bipartisan consensus that Congress needs to set more rules governing AI and the powerful companies developing it.