Anthropic and OpenAI wage proxy war via super PACs ahead of US midterms
Anthropic’s $20 million donation to a super PAC backing a regulated AI candidate marks a shift from industry lobbying to direct corporate political combat.
Anthropic and OpenAI are escalating their corporate rivalry into the political arena, utilising super PACs to spend millions of dollars attacking congressional candidates and each other ahead of the US midterm elections. The conflict highlights the increasing political influence of AI industry groups, with Anthropic’s efforts characterised as opposing the pro-industry agenda supported by OpenAI and other backers.
Anthropic has donated $20 million to Public First Action, a super PAC backing New York congressional candidate Alex Bores. Bores, who advocates for AI regulation and coauthored the New York state RAISE Act, has challenged Leading the Future (LTF), a super PAC backed by OpenAI’s Greg Brockman and other industry figures, to a public debate. The challenge requires LTF to commit to an in-person debate before the June 23 primary, though LTF declined to comment on the request.
The dynamic represents a shift in how AI companies engage with politics. While super PACs are legally prohibited from coordinating with candidates on messaging, the use of these vehicles to attack corporate rivals is an innovative, if indirect, strategy. Public First Action is now synonymous with Anthropic and what LTF terms “doomerism,” while LTF is increasingly perceived as a vehicle for OpenAI specifically rather than the broader AI industry.
This political fragmentation follows Meta’s decision to launch its own AI-focused super PACs, signalling a misalignment with the entities funding LTF. Meanwhile, a new pro-AI advocacy group, Innovation Council Action (ICA), has emerged with a $100 million war chest. Led by Donald Trump’s former adviser Taylor Budowich and backed by David Sacks, ICA is a dark money nonprofit focused on promoting the former president’s AI agenda, potentially targeting LTF for being too bipartisan.
Beyond the AI sector, other technology and financial issues are dominating legislative attention. The Senate Commerce Committee is holding its first hearing on prediction markets, with testimony from Patrick McHenry representing the Coalition for Prediction Markets. Concurrently, the Clarity Act, which would create a financial framework for stablecoins, passed the Senate Banking Committee markup with a 15–9 majority, despite opposition from police and labour unions concerned about money laundering tracking and pension fund impacts.
