Tech-Affiliated Super PACs Spend Tens of Millions in Midterm Races

Leading the Future, co-founded by the venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, has raised more than $140 million. The group has received contributions from the firm’s founders and OpenAI President Greg Brockman. Public First Action received a $20 million donation from Anthropic.

The group states that the funds are reserved for AI-education initiatives and cannot be used for federal election activity.

The two groups have focused spending on New York’s Twelfth Congressional District. Groups affiliated with the tech industry have spent $26 million to oppose candidate Alex Bores, while Public First Action and aligned groups have spent $18 million to support him.

Bores, a former Palantir employee, has positioned himself as a candidate who understands how to regulate technology companies. Leading the Future has run ads criticizing Bores for his regulatory focus. Recent commencement speeches at three universities drew boos when speakers discussed AI’s role in graduates’ lives.

A Gallup poll showed that seven out of ten Americans do not want a data center built in their area.