Anthropic and OpenAI take their AI-regulation dispute to the US midterm elections
The two major AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI have taken their disagreement on how strict federal AI regulation should be into the political arena. According to The Verge's detailed report, the two companies have set up their own super-PACs (political support committees) ahead of the November 2026 US midterm elections and have begun donating to different senator and assembly candidates. The first concrete stage where the two companies have come face to face is a sub-district of the New York State Assembly, District 73.
In the District 73 race, Anthropic's super-PAC, AI Safety Forward, donated $750,000 to Democratic Party candidate Alex Bores. Bores is the author of the bill at the state level called the 'New York AI Liability and Safety Act' that would hold companies liable for harm caused by AI systems. At the federal level, Bores has also been developing rhetoric supporting AI safety standards being enforced by the AI Director office of the US White House. Anthropic's donation gave Bores top-tier funding access in the December 2026 race.
On the other side, OpenAI's super-PAC, America's AI Leadership, donated $400,000 to the campaign of Republican candidate Jonah Klein, who is running against Democratic candidate Bores in the same district. Klein argues that federal AI regulation would 'slow down innovation' and cause the US to fall back in its technological competition with China. OpenAI's approach is to prefer 'industry self-regulation' over federal regulation.
The dispute between the two companies stems from AI-regulation philosophy. Anthropic, whose founders previously worked at OpenAI, has an academic background in AI safety through the 'Constitutional AI' method; the company supports the federal bill called the 'Responsible AI Development Act'. The bill would require any company making an AI investment of more than $10 billion to undergo federal safety review. OpenAI, sustaining Sam Altman's 'excessive regulation is dangerous' rhetoric, is willing to cooperate only within the framework of 'voluntary commitments'.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, in testimony before a Senate accountability committee in Washington in early May 2026, said, 'without federal AI safety standards, the current AI race is at risk of going out of control. The state needs to regulate this race.' OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in the same committee, said, 'we support federal regulation, but in a structure tailored to company size. There should not be excessive load on small startups.' Altman's rhetoric also includes OpenAI's call to protect the small AI startup ecosystem -- but critics note that what OpenAI defines as 'small startup' has a threshold above $1 billion.
Beyond Anthropic and OpenAI, other large technology companies are also in the process of setting up super-PACs. Microsoft's PAC, called 'America's Technology Leadership', supports OpenAI's approach (Microsoft is a large investor in OpenAI) and campaigns against federal regulation in conflict with Anthropic. Google's PAC, 'Innovation Forward', donates to both sides and prefers the approach 'we can learn from both views'. This is consistent with Google's neutral position in the 2024 federal AI Director debate.
New York's District 73 election holds symbolic significance. The district lies in western Manhattan in New York City; the district contains many AI and fintech startups, university academics and civil society organisations. The outcome between Bores and Klein will indicate which rhetoric is gaining voter support on AI regulation. In a survey conducted in early May 2026 by the Public Policy Institute of New York, 58% of voters in the district supported federal AI safety standards, 29% opposed and 13% said 'no opinion'.
At the US federal level, the Joint Standing Committee on AI plans to submit an AI regulation bill to Congress in September 2026. The content of the bill must find a balancing solution between the views of Anthropic and OpenAI. The committee's chair, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon), said, 'both AI companies believe in their own vision, but federal policy must prioritise public safety.' Wyden's comment also indicates that the federal White House is closely following the issue.
From the public side, the financing of political super-PACs by AI companies is a controversial subject. Civil society organisations (Public Citizen, Common Cause, Electronic Frontier Foundation) have criticised these super-PACs as 'a sector effort to buy political influence'. The official positions of Anthropic and OpenAI are that 'we donate with transparency' -- US Federal Election Commission data is publicly available, and how much each company donates to which candidate is published in annual reports.
The November 2026 elections could be a turning point for AI regulation. If the Democratic Party strengthens its Senate majority and moves toward passing a federal AI regulation law, Anthropic's position will be politically reinforced; if the Republican Party gains the upper hand, OpenAI's 'light regulation' rhetoric will gain political support. This article is in the nature of sector analysis and financial reporting; it does not give individual political support or election advice. The effect of super-PAC donations on voter decisions is the subject of academic research at various universities.