$646 Million Record! US AI Companies Are Aggressively "Betting Big" on the Midterm Elections

Odaily News: US companies are pouring money into political campaigns at an unprecedented pace. According to the latest data from Public Citizen, a US consumer advocacy group, corporate donations to US political campaigns reached a record $646 million in the 18 months leading up to June this year, a 40% increase over total corporate spending during the entire 2024 presidential election cycle. With the midterm elections entering their final stretch on November 3, this figure is likely to climb further.

Notably, this tally does not include donations from "dark money" organizations, nor does it factor in state and local election spending, meaning the actual political funds deployed by corporations and wealthy individuals could be far higher than public data suggests. The AI industry has quickly emerged as a significant political financier. The super PAC "Leading the Future," linked to OpenAI, has disclosed receiving $50 million, bringing the AI industry's reported campaign contributions to the FEC to $62 million. The PAC has so far raised $140 million in donations and pledges.

Traditional industries are also spending lavishly. Koch Inc., controlled by top Republican donor Charles Koch, donated $20 million in June to the family's political action committee "Americans for Prosperity Action." Tobacco company Reynolds American, through a subsidiary, contributed $5 million to Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc.