AI Super PAC Spending Failed to Deliver Key Election Wins
AI-related super PAC spending reached a record $79 million across 68 congressional races this cycle. Much of the money went to primary contests, including the 12th District in New York, where Leading the Future put over $8.1 million into opposing Democrat Alex Bores and Public First devoted about $15 million to backing him. Bores lost the primary after the race drew more than $40 million in outside spending, the most of any House primary this cycle.
The industry’s biggest general-election bet was in South Carolina, where American Mission and a pro-data-center super PAC spent a combined $4.8 million supporting Republican Darline Graham. Democrat Annie Andrews won, 51.1% to 46.7%. Andrews used Graham’s backing for data centers in her campaign, calling her “Data Center Darline.”
Other candidates backed by AI networks had mixed results. Public First’s network supported Democrats who won House races in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Alabama. Leading the Future’s network backed Republican candidates who lost in Montana and North Carolina, while Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz won reelection in Florida. In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts won with support from Public First’s network. Some races remained uncalled as of November 4, 2026.
Leading the Future had $34 million in cash across its network as of October 26, but had spent $7.4 million on general-election races by then. The results indicate that AI groups’ spending did not overcome the broader Democratic gains in competitive races. Bores is now seeking to raise $30 million before 2028 through his new nonprofit, Who Decides.
Voters Reject AI Industry’s Push to Shape Congress
The AI industry poured a record $79 million into 68 congressional races, but its biggest general-election bets could not protect several candidates from defeat. South Carolina Democrat Annie Andrews beat Darline Graham, despite $4.8 million in support for Graham from American Mission and a pro-data-center super PAC. Andrews made Graham’s backing of data centers a campaign issue, dubbing her “Data Center Darline.”
The results offer a warning to an industry seeking influence over AI rules and data-center expansion. Leading the Future’s network backed Republican candidates who lost in Montana and North Carolina. In New York’s 12th District, the network spent more than $8.1 million against Democrat Alex Bores, who had made AI safety central to his campaign. Public First put about $15 million behind Bores, but he still lost the primary.
AI-safety-aligned groups also backed Democrats who won House races in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Alabama. And in North Carolina, Democrat Don Davis defeated Laurie Buckhout, whom Leading the Future’s network supported. Davis had previously co-sponsored a bill to limit tax giveaways for data-center development.
The industry’s spending was not evenly directed at competitive contests: Leading the Future had $34 million in network cash as of October 26 and had spent $7.4 million on general-election races by then. The outcomes sharpen the question of whether lavish political spending can secure a Congress willing to leave the industry’s preferred policies unchecked. Bores’ recently launched nonprofit, Who Decides, plans to collect $30 million by 2028.
AI Spending Fell Short as Democrats Claim Election Gains
A record $79 million in AI super PAC spending did not translate into wins for several Republican candidates in the most competitive races. In South Carolina, American Mission and a pro-data-center super PAC spent $4.8 million supporting Darline Graham, but Democrat Annie Andrews won, 51.1% to 46.7%. Andrews made Graham’s support for data centers a campaign attack, labeling her “Data Center Darline.”
The results also show the limits of a strategy that spread money across candidates on both sides of the aisle. Leading the Future’s network backed Republicans who lost in Montana and North Carolina, while it also supported Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who won reelection in Florida. Public First’s network, which favors stronger AI safeguards, backed Democratic winners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Alabama.
The industry’s political networks have different goals: Leading the Future favors lighter regulation and a single national AI standard, while Public First advocates stronger safeguards. Their competing investments shaped races from congressional primaries to the general election. In New York, more than $40 million in outside money flooded the 12th District primary, where Leading the Future put over $8.1 million toward opposing Alex Bores and Public First spent about $15 million supporting him. Bores lost.
Leading the Future still had $34 million in network cash as of October 26, after spending $7.4 million on general-election races by then. The election results leave the industry’s political strategy facing a challenge: spending heavily did not prevent losses in several high-profile contests, even as the networks backed winners elsewhere.
Reported by Fortune, Wired, TechCrunch.
