AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI are significantly increasing their spending to influence the 2026 midterm elections and shape future AI regulation. Anthropic has contributed $20 million to Public First Action, a Super PAC group advocating for tough AI regulation, and is undertaking a substantial advertising blitz. This comes amidst growing bipartisan consensus in Congress for more AI rules, even as federal legislation has stalled. Anthropic more than quadrupled its lobbying spending to $1.56 million in the first quarter of 2026, while OpenAI nearly doubled its outlays to $1.02 million during the same period.
AI-focused Super PACs have already spent $43.3 million on congressional races this cycle, a number expected to rise. Anthropic's backing of Public First Action is positioned in opposition to groups like Leading the Future, which has raised over $75 million and spent $23.5 million on various races. Public First-affiliated PACs, including Jobs and Democracy and Defending Our Values, have spent $16.6 million on congressional races in states like North Carolina, Texas, and Utah. The political antagonism between these groups mirrors the corporate competition between OpenAI and Anthropic.
OpenAI has also engaged in significant political spending, sponsoring a $700,000 ad campaign and backing state laws, including in California, that call for AI regulation. Lobbying efforts by both companies are expanding, with Anthropic spending $1.97 million from April through June (up 26% from Q1) and OpenAI spending $1.2 million (up nearly 18%). Together, the two leading AI developers spent $3.17 million in Q2, a 23% increase from Q1, focusing their lobbying on issues such as cybersecurity, copyright, cloud computing, and defense procurement.
