Voters in Key States See AI Campaign Cash as More Politically Toxic Than AIPAC: Poll

“Candidates should seek support from the AI industry at their own peril.”

By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams

Polling data released Thursday shows that American voters in several key states view campaign cash from the artificial intelligence industry and Big Tech CEOs as more politically poisonous than donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Wall Street executives, and cryptocurrency firms.

The poll from Data for Progress and Guardrails Action, an advocacy group that supports strong AI regulations, surveyed more than 3,000 likely voters in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio and found “a battleground electorate that is skeptical of the AI industry across party lines, wants guardrails against its harms, and treats AI money in politics as a red flag.”

Around 85% of surveyed voters in the three states said they were either very or somewhat concerned about AI companies and tech executives “spending money to influence” the 2026 midterm elections. By comparison, roughly 72% of voters in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio expressed concern about AIPAC cash, which has become increasingly toxic amid Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.

“This polling bears out what we have been saying all year: Candidates should seek support from the AI industry at their own peril,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of Guardrails Action. “What took AIPAC and the NRA years has been accomplished by the AI industry in just a few months. Candidates who sought support from corporate AI super PACs may find that support to be a huge liability in November.”

Super PACs with ties the two leading AI firms in the United States, OpenAI and Anthropic, have spent more than $55 million so far on 2026 races, backing both Republicans and Democrats. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and an outspoken supporter of strict AI regulations, has called on all of his fellow Democrats to reject campaign cash from AI industry billionaires and predicted that AI industry cash would soon be “as toxic as AIPAC.”

The new polling out Thursday shows that roughly three-quarters of voters in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio “would be less likely to support a candidate who receives funding from super PACs backed by AI companies or their executives, including about 3 in 5 Republicans.”

The survey also shows that voters “take AI seriously as a force that will reshape the country, and they are skeptical that the people building it have their interests in mind,” Guardrails Action and Data for Progress write in a memo.

“About 3 in 5 agree AI could eventually pose a risk to the survival of humanity (65%, 61%, and 60%), including a majority of Republicans (59%, 60%, and 54%),” the groups observed. “And a similar percentage in all three states believe AI is a threat to American democracy, though by slightly smaller margins.”

Thomas of Guardrails Action said Thursday that “voters understand that the billionaires controlling this technology aren’t looking out for us, they’re only interested in accruing more money and power for themselves.”

“Americans are deeply concerned about what AI will do to our society and who controls this unprecedented technology,” said Thomas. “People are looking for commonsense guardrails on AI and we are seeing broad support for a wide range of policy proposals to regulate it.”

The survey shows that voters across the three states support regulating AI development and taking action to mitigate the economic impacts of the technology. Around three-quarters of survey respondents said they support a “guaranteed jobs program” for Americans laid off due to AI and a system that would guarantee healthcare to everyone who loses their job due to AI advancements.