OpenAI has good opening night in 2026 primary season
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A super PAC affiliated with OpenAI went 3-for-3 in yesterday's GOP primaries, helping Republican candidates win their House races with investments of $500,000 or more each.
Why it matters: OpenAI money has entered the chat.
- The GOP primary winners — two in Texas and one in North Carolina — will advance to the general election in red seats, all but guaranteeing three new pro-OpenAI lawmakers.
- Expect more. The super PAC, Leading the Future, plans to spend $125 million in the 2026 midterm to help establish a national regulatory framework for artificial intelligence.
- "We were proud to back three successful candidates last night who will be champions for innovation in Congress and lead the country to a safer, more prosperous future," said Jesse Hunt, a Leading the Future spokesperson.
Zoom in: Jessica Steinmann, a former DOJ official endorsed by President Trump, won the primary in Texas' 8th District. LTF spent $500,000 on her behalf.
- Chris Gober, a conservative attorney, is projected to win the GOP primary in Texas' 10th District. He benefited from $750,000 in LFT advertising.
- And in North Carolina's 1st District, Laurie Buckhout will advance to the general election in a newly redrawn district that is now more pro-Trump — and with the help of $500,000 from LTF.
- The super PAC has received the majority of its funding from OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman, as well as 8VC founder and managing partner Joe Lonsdale and Andreessen Horowitz.
Between the lines: A rival super PAC — Public First, which received $20 million from Anthropic — had mixed results on the opening night of the 2026 primary season.
- In North Carolina, $1.6 million from Public First likely helped Democratic Rep. Valerie Foushee. But she's only ahead by a little more than 1,000 votes in a race that will go to a recount.
- Two GOP candidates supported by Public First in Texas — Alex Mealer and Carlos De La Cruz — will face runoffs on May 27.
- And a Texas Democrat the group supported, former Rep. Colin Allred, will also face a runoff against Rep. Julie Johnson.
Zoom out: Like the crypto industry in 2024, the AI industry plans to be a major bipartisan player in the 2026 midterms.
- But there's an air war between two of the main companies: OpenAI and Anthropic.
- A massive battle is unfolding in New York's crowded 12th District Democratic primary, where LTF has already announced $1 million to defeat Alex Bores, a New York assembly member who is making AI safety central to his campaign.
- LTF is also placing bets on two former members of Congress seeking comebacks in Illinois: Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean.
