Leading the Future, a network of political groups opposing policies it considers harmful to innovation, entered the midterm cycle with about $100 million and backing from prominent Silicon Valley figures, including Andreessen Horowitz, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman. It leaves the elections with just over $20 million in the bank and a number of winning candidates, but its spending appears to have had limited influence in the races where outcomes were less certain.

The network spent about $26 million on primary contests, including millions in attack ads against Alex Bores, a New York state lawmaker and former Palantir engineer who campaigned on AI safety. Bores finished second in a crowded primary, behind Micah Lasher, who also ran on technology accountability and AI safety. Public First, an AI-safety group with financial backing from Anthropic, spent $15 million to support Bores.

Leading the Future’s spending slowed ahead of the general election. It spent roughly $10 million, largely on candidates in safe races, and reported no donations in the second and third quarters. The network includes groups serving both parties: American Mission largely supports Republicans, while Think Big largely supports Democrats.

Several of its higher-risk bets did not succeed. In South Carolina, American Mission gave more than $2 million to incumbent Darline Graham, who lost her Senate race with 46.5 percent of the vote. In North Carolina’s 1st congressional district, Republican Laurie Buckhout, backed by American Mission in the primary, lost to Democrat Don Davis. Montana Republican Aaron Flint conceded to Democrat Sam Forstag, although the Associated Press had not called that race in the report.

The network also supported some candidates who won. Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat backed by Think Big, secured re-election by 13,000 votes. The article characterizes much of the support for safer candidates as an effort to build influence with incoming members of Congress.

The results have also become part of a wider debate over AI regulation. Public First Action co-founder Brad Carson described the midterms as a setback for the industry’s efforts to oppose regulation. An NBC exit poll cited in the report found that 56 percent of voters said AI and data centers played a major role in their vote.

Sources: WIRED.