The Pulse
AI Safety Advocates Spend $48 Million in 2026 Races
AI safety groups and individual donors have spent $48 million backing candidates who favor regulation in the 2026 election cycle. A dispute over Guardrails Alliance’s spending against a pro-regulation Democrat exposes divisions over how the
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
A fight over a pro-regulation Democrat has exposed a divide among the groups spending heavily to shape U.S. AI policy. Guardrails Alliance spent more than $400,000 opposing Rep. Jimmy Gomez, drawing a rebuke from CHC BOLD PAC, which argued the money should target Republicans opposing AI safeguards. The dispute arrives as AI safety groups and individual donors have spent $48 million on Democratic and Republican races this election cycle, according to figures shared exclusively with Axios.
Guardrails’ strategy draws Democratic criticism
CHC BOLD PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said on October 13 that Guardrails should reconsider its opposition to Gomez, a California Democrat. The group described Gomez as a supporter of AI regulation and argued that spending against him could benefit Republicans who oppose safeguards. Its criticism points to a strategic tension: Guardrails says it backs candidates advocating regulation, but its campaign choices can put it at odds with Democrats who share that goal.
Guardrails Alliance is backed by tech workers and has raised $11.7 million through its super PAC and a 501(c)(4) organization, Axios reported. That is money raised, not the amount it has spent in the cycle. The $48 million figure, by contrast, covers spending by safety groups and individual donors on races involving candidates who favor regulation.
Donors say they fear a chilling effect
Some donors say their political giving is less about party affiliation than preventing industry-backed spending from discouraging candidates from discussing AI rules. Jacob Eliosoff, who runs cryptocurrency investment fund Calibrated Markets, told Axios he entered AI-related political giving after seeing early fundraising and candidate advocacy from pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future. He said his concern grew from the influence of large political spenders in other policy debates.
“If politicians feel like they can't say anything because there's a very deep-pocketed and ruthless political entity that's going to go after them, that motivates me to step in,” Eliosoff said. Axios reported that Eliosoff has donated to Democrats and Republicans he believes may take AI risks seriously and could be positioned to pass regulation. The cross-party approach reflects a focus on candidates’ stances and the perceived pressure of industry spending, rather than simply backing one party.
Leading the Future says regulation needs a coalition
The pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future had more than $31 million remaining at the end of the second quarter and had supported more than 15 Democrats and more than 25 Republicans, Axios reported. The group said in a statement that AI regulation would need 60 votes to pass the Senate, arguing that supporters of safety should build a broad coalition. Its spending adds a competing political force to the safety advocates’ campaign activity.
Guardrails Alliance executive director Shaunna Thomas told Axios that the election cycle will test whether candidates who accept AI industry money and oppose regulation pay a political price. She also argued that Democrats have an opening to make AI policy a campaign issue. The objections from some Democrats, however, show the other risk: attacks on lawmakers seen as insufficiently supportive of regulation could divide the coalition the groups want to build.
The November races will test both strategies
The spending fight now turns on whether candidates can accept backing from AI interests without losing credibility on regulation, and whether outside groups can target lawmakers without weakening allies. The $48 million total includes both organizations and individual donors, while the competing groups have different aims and approaches. The November results will show whether voters treat AI policy and campaign spending as meaningful factors in those races.