Public First, a political group that backs stricter rules for artificial intelligence, says 10 of the 17 congressional candidates it supported won this year's midterm elections after it spent more than $63 million by its own count, Bloomberg reported Saturday. Set beside a rival industry-aligned group's claimed wins, the tally is an early gauge of how much pressure for AI safeguards lawmakers will carry into the next Congress.
What Happened
Public First is funded by Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei and other AI safety advocates, according to Bloomberg. Its winners include Democrats Scott Wiener of California and Manny Rutinel of Colorado, who wrote two of the most sweeping state AI laws and are headed to the House, and Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina, who co-chairs the House Democratic Commission on AI. Co-founder Brad Carson called the results "a crushing blow to the AI industry's anti-regulatory efforts."
Leading the Future, a network backed by Marc Andreessen and other technology figures that favors light federal rules, spent at least $54 million after announcing $140 million in commitments, Bloomberg reported. It says 41 of its 48 candidates won, with two races, including Mississippi's Senate contest, not yet called. Its highest-profile result came in a June Democratic primary in Manhattan, where it spent $8 million against Alex Bores, author of New York's state AI law, while Public First spent $15 million backing him. Bores lost. Leading the Future also spent more than $4.1 million on Republican Darline Graham's failed South Carolina Senate bid.
Bloomberg said OpenAI President Greg Brockman backed out of a planned $25 million donation to Leading the Future after employee pushback. The Primary Wire reported in October, citing Reuters, that he and his wife had already given that amount. Separately, Semafor reported that Guardrails Alliance, a new pro-rules group, said all five candidates it spent against lost.
Why It Matters
Two-thirds of voters told NBC News exit pollsters that AI will harm society more than help it, and 43 cities voted to restrict data center development, Bloomberg reported. If lawmakers read that as a mandate, AI developers and large corporate buyers of AI could face federal rules on model testing and liability sooner. Still, the AI groups' spending was far below Elon Musk's more than $445 million and the crypto industry super PAC Fairshake's $166 million. Leading the Future spokesman Jesse Hunt noted that AI regulation needs 60 Senate votes to pass.
What to Watch
Democrats take control of both chambers in January, bringing hearings and subpoenas, as The Primary Wire reported Nov. 4, and incoming leaders plan bills on independent model testing and liability, The Primary Wire reported Nov. 6. OpenAI has also said it will push for mandatory speed limits on the most powerful systems. Watch whether those bills draw Republican support, how the uncalled races settle and whether either group keeps spending toward 2028.
