SILICON VALLEY IS already pouring tens of millions of dollars into the midterm elections taking place across the US in 2026, as the tech industry’s war over AI regulation moves decisively into American politics. Technology executives, investors, and companies tied to the AI boom are funding a new network of AI-focused super PACS, which is poised to make AI a major issue in this year’s state and federal elections races.
The election spending marks a sharp escalation of the AI regulation debate that has divided Silicon Valley for years.
In the absence of federal action, state lawmakers in New York, California, and Colorado have passed laws in the past year requiring large AI developers to disclose safety practices and assess risks such as algorithmic discrimination. As states offer up their own ideas about how to regulate AI, their efforts have been met with great pushback from the White House. David Sacks, the White House AI czar, has repeatedly argued that American AI progress is existential in its race against China. In December, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to challenge state AI laws that conflict with less-strict federal policy, and urging Congress to establish a national AI framework that would preempt state regulations.
