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FIRST ON FOX – Deep-pocketed super PAC working to elect candidates AI is making big investments in upcoming Senate and House primaries ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Leading the Future, a pro-AI group with a large war chest backed by industry executives, is pledging to spend $2 million on Senate races in Louisiana, Montana and Oklahoma, with $1.5 million to be spent immediately.
And the super PAC, funded by donors including Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and his wife Anna, in addition to venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, will donate $750,000 to the upcoming House primaries in California and Washington state. The development was first reported by Fox News Digital.
The group’s new round of spending comes after it won in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, where it poured money into key primaries to elect candidates from both parties who oppose the state’s AI laws and are heavily pro-industry. And it comes as the AI industry’s money has been growing by shaping political primaries amid battles over federal and state regulations.
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Republican Representative Julia Letlow of Louisiana, a Republican Senate candidate, speaks to Fox News Digital on the eve of the state’s first congressional hearing, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on May 15, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
In Louisiana, Leading the Future supports Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, who is facing State Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman, in the GOP Senate election, in a runoff election on June 27, in the race to replace Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Cassidy, who was nominated by President Donald Trump during his re-election bid, was ousted last week after finishing third in the GOP primary, with Letlow and Fleming advancing.
Letlow, who is backed by Trump, is considered the front-runner for the nomination and general election in the red state.
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Leading the Future supports former Montana U.S. Rep. Kurt Alme, who resigned last March to launch a Republican Senate campaign in Montana in the race to replace retiring GOP Rep. Steve Daines. Montana’s primary will be held on June 2.
Former US District Attorney Kurt Alme has been endorsed by President Donald Trump as he runs for Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., to maintain the GOP majority in the Senate. (Alme Campaign)
Daines withdrew from the Republican primary minutes before the filing deadline last year, and gave way to Alme, who is also supported by Trump.
In Oklahoma, Leading the Future is supporting Rep. Kevin Hern, the front-runner in the June 16 GOP primary in a race to fill the last two years of the term of former Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who stepped down earlier this year to serve as Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump administration. Hern was also supported by the president.
Leading the Future says it plans to “implement a fully integrated paid strategy, including broadcast, cable, broadcast/digital, direct mail, and texting to ensure candidates are defined early and supported across the most effective voter communication channels.”
This group also supports Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte in the June 2 primary in California’s 23rd District, which centers on San Bernardino County but includes slivers of Los Angeles and Kern counties.
Leading the Future said their investment “demonstrates the importance of standing behind regulatory champions who have demonstrated leadership in artificial intelligence, innovation, and a broader technology development agenda.”
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Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., former chairman of the Republican Appropriations Committee, is running for Senate in 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
The group is also supporting Republican Angela McKinney in Washington’s 4th Congressional District – in the middle of the state – in the race to replace GOP Rep. Jim Newhouse. The Washington state capital will be held on Aug. 4.
Both California and Washington state hold nonpartisan, “jungle” primaries, where all candidates are on the same ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the general election.
Leading the Future has raised more than $125 million by 2025 and reported more than $70 million in the bank earlier this year. It brought in another $25 million in revenue during the first three months of this year.
Zac Moffat, a veteran Republican consultant who serves as a strategist for Leading the Future, said the group is “identifying opportunities where our resources can help grow pro-innovation leaders in Congress who understand the huge economic benefits of AI and the importance of establishing a clear national framework for support.”
Leading the Future has also targeted candidates who support more industry oversight, which critics say could stifle innovation and stifle growth in China. The group is promising to spend millions to shut down Democratic New York congressman Alex Boros in Congress.
The group’s aggressive presence during the period comes as the Trump administration seeks a unified AI framework for the organization and the creation of supporting infrastructure, including data centers.
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Trump has prioritized American innovation in AI and maintaining a competitive edge over China over increasing regulation of the growing industry.
The Trump administration has pushed back against federal-level regulations and last week the president reversed an executive order expected to increase federal oversight of the industry after apparent backlash from AI leaders.
But recent public opinion polls show that Americans are increasingly worried about the use of AI in everyday life, with concerns about job displacement, data privacy and the weakening of human skills.
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In a recent Fox News national poll, voters had negative views of AI by 50 points when it came to privacy (63% hurt, 13% help), 35 points for US job creation (56-21), 15 points for the national economy (42-27), 5 points for people’s daily lives (38-33), and 4 points for their personal lives (30-26).
The poll revealed a partisan divide, with Democrats and independents by double digits more likely to say AI will hurt than help in each area, and a majority of Republicans support AI.
