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FIRST ON FOX – A deep-pocketed super PAC working to elect AI-friendly candidates is investing heavily in upcoming Senate and House primaries ahead of November's midterm elections.
Leading the Future, a pro-AI group with a sizable war chest backed by industry executives, has pledged to spend $2 million on Senate races in Louisiana, Montana and Oklahoma, with $1.5 million to be deployed immediately.
And the super PAC, which is powered by donors like Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI, and his wife Anna, as well as venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, will dole out $750,000 in the upcoming House primaries in California and Washington state. The developments were first reported by Fox News Digital.
The group's new round of spending comes after it scored victories in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Georgia, where it poured money into key primaries to elect candidates from both parties who oppose a patchwork of state regulations on AI and are more supportive of the industry. And it comes as AI industry money has increasingly shaped political primaries amid fights over federal and state regulations.
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Republican Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana, a Republican Senate candidate, speaks with Fox News Digital on the eve of the state's primary, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 15, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
In Louisiana, Leading the Future is endorsing Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, who faces state Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman, for the Republican Senate nomination in the June 27 runoff election in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Cassidy, who was targeted by President Donald Trump while running for re-election, was unseated last week when he placed third in the GOP primary, with Letlow and Fleming advancing to the runoff.
Letlow, who is backed by Trump, is considered the favorite for the nomination and general election in the solidly Republican state.
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Leading the Future is endorsing former U.S. Attorney in Montana Kurt Alme, who resigned last March to launch a Republican Senate campaign in Montana in the race to succeed outgoing Republican Sen. Steve Daines. Montana's primary will take place on June 2.
Former U.S. District Attorney Kurt Alme has the backing of President Donald Trump as he runs to replace outgoing Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, to maintain the GOP majority in the Senate. (Almé Campaign)
Daines withdrew from the Republican primary minutes before the filing deadline last year and endorsed Alme, who is also backed by Trump.
In Oklahoma, Leading the Future is endorsing Rep. Kevin Hern, the front-runner in the June 16 Republican primary in the race to fill the final two years of the term of former Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who resigned earlier this year to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security in the Trump administration. Hern also has the president's backing.
Leading the Future says it plans to “implement a fully integrated paid strategy, including broadcast, cable, streaming/digital, direct mail and text messaging to ensure our candidates are targeted early and supported through the most effective voter contact channels.”
The group is also supporting Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte in the June 2 primary in California's 23rd Congressional District, which is anchored in San Bernardino County but includes parts of Los Angeles and Kern counties.
Leading the Future said its investment “reflects the importance of backing proven legislative champions who have already demonstrated leadership on artificial intelligence, innovation and the broader pro-growth technology agenda.”
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Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, is running for Senate in 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
The group is also backing Republican Angela McKinney in Washington state's 4th Congressional District, in the central part of the state, in the race to succeed outgoing Republican Rep. Jim Newhouse. The Washington state primary will take place on August 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 raised over $125 million in 2025 and reported over $70 million in the bank earlier this year. It raised another $25 million during the first three months of this year.
Zac Moffat, a veteran Republican consultant who serves as Leading the Future's co-strategist, said the group is “identifying opportunities where our resources can help cultivate a deep pool of pro-innovation leaders in Congress who understand both the enormous economic benefits of AI and the importance of establishing a clear national framework. Building that coalition now is critical to our mission at Leading the Future and we are proud to announce our support.”
Leading the Future has also focused on candidates who support more barriers in the industry, which critics say could stifle innovation and cede growth to China. The group has pledged to spend millions to exclude Democratic New York state legislator Alex Boros from Congress.
The group's aggressive midterm presence comes as the Trump administration is pushing for a single federal AI framework and the building of supporting infrastructure, including data centers.
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Trump has prioritized American innovation in artificial intelligence and maintaining a competitive advantage over China over greater regulation of the burgeoning industry.
The Trump administration has rejected restrictive regulations at the state level, and last week the president postponed an expected executive order that would have boosted federal oversight of the industry after apparent opposition from AI leaders.
But the latest public opinion polls indicate that Americans are increasingly concerned about the use of AI in daily life, with concerns about job displacement, data privacy and the weakening of human skills.
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In the most recent national Fox News poll, voters had negative views on AI by 50 points when it came to privacy (63% hurts, 13% helps), 35 points in the creation of jobs in the United States (56-21), 15 points in the national economy (42-27), 5 points in people's daily lives (38-33) and 4 points in their own personal life (30-26).
The poll highlighted a partisan divide: Democrats and independents are more likely by double digits to say AI hurts rather than helps in each area, and a majority of Republicans support it.
