Public First Action

Public First Action
Formation2025
Type501(c)(4)
Region served
United States
Key people
AffiliationsDefending Our Values
Jobs and Democracy
Websitepublicfirstaction.us Edit this at Wikidata

Public First Action is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization focused on United States public policy related to artificial intelligence. Public First Action is a bipartisan group that advocates for AI transparency, safeguards, and export controls on advanced AI chips. The organization is aligned with the political action committees Jobs and Democracy to support Democratic candidates, Defending Our Values to support Republican candidates, and Public First.

History

Public First Action was formed in 2025 by former Congressmen Brad Carson, a Democrat, and Chris Stewart, a Republican, to advocate for federal, state, and local regulations related to AI. The group's formation followed the founding of a super PAC network, Leading the Future, which advocates for deregulation of the AI industry and faster development of the new technology. Public First Action supports measures that would increase transparency at frontier AI companies and impose export controls on advanced AI chips, in addition to opposing the preemption of state-level AI laws.

In February 2026, the 501(c)(4) organization Public First Action received $20 million from the AI company Anthropic. The company later clarified that the donation could not be used for election ads.

That same month, the group announced plans to support 30 to 50 Democrats and Republicans in state and federal races, with Public First Action and aligned super PACs launching advertisements in Nebraska, Tennessee, and other states. In one ad, Senator Marsha Blackburn was touted for her work on child online safety.

As of October 2026, the organization spent $23.33 million in primary elections and $1.1 million in general elections during the 2026 United States elections. For Democratic candidates, it spent $3.5 million in support of Scott Wiener, $263,000 in support of Bob Brooks, $399,000 in support of Colin Allred, $512,000 in support of Brian Poindexter, $1.62 million in support of Valerie Foushee, $13.16 million in support of Alex Bores. For Republican candidates, it spent $98,000 against Briscoe Cain, $262,000 in support of Pete Ricketts, $501,000 in support of John Cowan, $646,000 in support of Alex Mealer, $740,000 against Dan Franzese, $808,000 in support of Kevin Hern, $857,000 in support of Scott Singer, $959,000 in support of Rhett Marques, $998,000 in support of Celeste Maloy, and $1.49 million in support of Carlos De La Cruz.

Organization

Leadership and funding

Public First Action is led by Carson and Stewart. The group has raised nearly $50 million in funding with a goal of raising $75 million during the 2026 midterms. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei donated $1 million and Anthropic has contributed $20 million to the group.

Structure

Public First Action is aligned with three political action committees: "Jobs and Democracy", which supports Democratic candidates; "Defending Our Values", which supports Republican candidates; and "Public First", which supports both Republicans and Democrats.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gold, Ashley (2026-02-27). "The AI influence network's power players". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  2. ↑ Birnbaum, Emily (February 12, 2026). "Anthropic Pledges $20 Million to Candidates Who Favor AI Safety". Bloomberg.
  3. ↑ Curi, Maria (2026-02-12). "Anthropic pours $20 million into AI policy fight". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  4. ↑ Kang, Cecilia (2026-02-23). "Backed by Anthropic, a Super PAC Group Begins an Ad Blitz in Support of A.I. Regulation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  5. ↑ "The Silicon Valley billionaires spending big to write America's AI rules". Financial Times. February 26, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Super PAC aims to drown out AI critics in midterms, with $100M and counting". The Washington Post. 2025-08-26. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  7. ↑ Schwartz, Amrith Ramkumar and Brian (2025-08-25). "Exclusive | Silicon Valley Launches Pro-AI PACs to Defend Industry in Midterm Elections". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  8. ↑ Curi, Maria (2026-02-12). "Anthropic pours $20 million into AI policy fight". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  9. ↑ Rozen, Courtney (February 12, 2026). "Anthropic to donate $20 million to US political group backing AI regulation". Reuters.
  10. ↑ Tiku, Nitasha; Duncan, Ian; Vynck, Gerrit De (2026-05-23). "'It's called winning': Why a tech industry super PAC is running ads about ICE". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  11. ↑ Wilkins, Emily (2026-02-12). "Anthropic gives $20 million to group pushing for AI regulations ahead of 2026 elections". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  12. ↑ Shapero, Julia (2026-02-12). "Anthropic gives $20M to group backing AI safeguards". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Sledge, Matt (2026-10-29). "AI Tried to Buy the Midterms — Then the Lobby Learned Everyone Hates AI". The Intercept. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  14. ↑ "AI group pours millions into race for Pelosi's seat. Its pick: Scott Wiener". The San Francisco Standard. 2026-10-13. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  15. ↑ "Seeking effective AI guardrails: Former Rep. Brad Carson on the launch of AI safety super PAC". CNBC. 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  16. ↑ Shapero, Julia (2026-02-12). "Anthropic gives $20M to group backing AI safeguards". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  17. ↑ Kang, Cecilia (2026-02-23). "Backed by Anthropic, a Super PAC Group Begins an Ad Blitz in Support of A.I. Regulation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  18. ↑ Wilkins, Emily (2026-02-12). "Anthropic gives $20 million to group pushing for AI regulations ahead of 2026 elections". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  19. ↑ "Anthropic to donate $20m to US political group backing AI regulation". The Guardian. 2026-02-12. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  20. ↑ Gold, Ashley (2026-02-27). "The AI influence network's power players". Axios. Retrieved 2026-03-05.