AI PAC Machine Crushes Dissent

Human hand reaching toward a robotic hand — Photo: maxuser / Shutterstock

As Silicon Valley pours more than $100 million into shaping America’s AI laws, the men behind the money are pushing ahead despite a growing public backlash against Big Tech power.

Story Snapshot

Big Tech donors built a super PAC network called Leading the Future to drive AI policy in Washington and key states.
Political veterans Zac Moffatt and Josh Vlasto control a war chest that started above $100 million and is now about $125 million.
The network backs politicians who oppose strict AI rules, raising fears of Big Tech writing the law to suit itself.
Polling shows most Americans distrust Big Tech chiefs and want the industry taxed and reined in.

Silicon Valley Builds a Political Machine for AI

Leading the Future is an AI-focused super PAC network built to push “pro-innovation” rules and stop tougher AI laws that could slow the industry. It launched in 2025 with over $100 million from major tech investors and companies, including huge checks from Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI president Greg Brockman. The group says it wants one national AI framework instead of different rules in every state, which would make it easier for Big Tech to operate everywhere on its own terms.

This super PAC does not just talk about policy; it spends big in real races. In New York’s 12th Congressional District, Leading the Future dropped over $8 million to defeat Alex Bores, a Democrat who strongly backed tight AI safety rules. Friends and critics both describe the operation as an aggressive, well-funded machine, built to “obliterate” opponents who push strict regulations. That kind of spending lets Silicon Valley drown out voices calling for guardrails on powerful AI systems.

The “Money Men” Behind the AI Push

Zac Moffatt and Josh Vlasto run this network and control where the money goes. Moffatt is a longtime Republican strategist, and Vlasto came up in Democratic politics, including work for Senator Chuck Schumer and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Their bipartisan résumés help Leading the Future claim it supports candidates in both parties, as long as those candidates are friendly to the AI industry. That framing lets them reach deep into the political system while still looking “centrist” to casual observers.

Reports say Silicon Valley’s biggest names are lining up behind them, with Andreessen Horowitz listed as the largest known donor in the current midterm cycle. CNBC earlier noted the network had “successfully amassed $125 million” in 2025 and still had tens of millions left heading into 2026, giving it major firepower in upcoming races. When a small circle of tech billionaires can steer that kind of cash, it raises obvious questions about who really writes the rules for AI, and whether voters, not donors, will decide how this technology enters daily life.

Backlash Grows, But Big Tech Keeps Spending

While the money men push harder, ordinary Americans are showing clear signs of frustration with Big Tech power. A nationwide poll released by the Tech Oversight Project found majorities in both parties support taxing Big Tech to offset the costs the industry imposes on society. About 72 percent of Americans support a special Big Tech tax, including 60 percent of Republicans, 86 percent of Democrats, and 70 percent of independents. That level of agreement is rare and signals broad anger at the way major tech companies treat workers, data, and communities.

Voters are also wary of billionaires telling government what to do. An AP–NORC survey reported that 59 percent of Americans said it would be bad if the president relies on billionaires for advice on running the country. Yet that is exactly what happens when tech moguls fund huge super PACs to shape AI policy. Amnesty International has warned that Big Tech’s dominance threatens human rights and called for stronger antitrust action and new rules to protect people from abuse by major platforms. The more AI gets baked into everyday tools, the more those warnings matter for privacy, speech, and basic freedom.

What This Means for Conservatives and the Constitution

For constitutional conservatives, the core issue is simple: unelected tech oligarchs should not control the future of American law. Leading the Future frames its agenda as defending innovation and keeping China from winning the AI race. But real innovation does not require blocking every effort to put limits on surveillance, deepfakes, or automated decision systems that can harm families, jobs, and local communities. A national AI framework written to please donors could preempt state laws that now act as laboratories for stronger protections.

New POLITICO Mag cover story: no one is controlling more pro-AI money in the midterms than Josh Vlasto and Zac Moffatt at Leading the Future. @calder_mchugh sat down with them:https://t.co/6XRpgpDFwB pic.twitter.com/YP4BCSyMu9

— Tessa Berenson Rogers (@tcberenson) July 26, 2026

President Trump’s second term has put the White House directly in the crosshairs of this fight. Some reporting says officials view the super PAC push as a “slap in the face,” showing how aggressive and unusual this level of outside pressure has become. As AI becomes a defining issue in the 2026 and 2028 elections, conservatives who care about limited government, free speech, and fair markets will need to watch closely. The battle is not over whether we have AI, but whether Big Tech money gets to decide how that AI reshapes American life, liberty, and work.