# AI money floods obscure Senate race

> Tech labs are spending big to protect a senator who could shape AI regulation in Congress.
- Title: AI money floods obscure Senate race · WIRED | Shortify
- Summary: Tech labs are spending big to protect a senator who could shape AI regulation in Congress. AI companies are using political spending to secure allies in…
- Keywords: ai regulation, super pacs, mike rounds, south dakota, senate race, andreessen horowitz, anthropic, data centers, political spending, tech lobbying, openai, congress
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/ai-pacs-have-dumped-nearly-1-million-into-an-obscure-senate-race
- Author: Hugo Lowell
- Published: 2026-09-18T15:00:08.278+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ai regulation, super pacs, mike rounds, south dakota, senate race, andreessen horowitz, anthropic, data centers, political spending, tech lobbying, openai, congress
## AI money floods South Dakota
Super PACs linked to AI labs have spent nearly $1 million on Republican Mike Rounds's Senate race in South Dakota, a race that's not even competitive. Most of the money comes from Andreessen Horowitz-backed groups.

> Major super PACs associated with AI labs and investors have poured close to $1 million into incumbent Republican Mike Rounds's South Dakota senate race
## Rounds got more tech money than local donors
The senator has raised more from AI companies like Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft than from South Dakota donors. He's received $600,000 from outside groups and $215,000 directly from tech employees and PACs.

> Rounds has so far raised more from tech groups than from donors in South Dakota
## AI labs see Rounds as their guy
AI executives view Rounds as a top supporter of the industry. With AI regulation expected to become a priority in the next Congress, securing his seat ensures they have an ally when those debates happen.
## OpenAI's president backs AI-friendly senators
Leading the Future, a super PAC funded by OpenAI president Greg Brockman and investors Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, announced $2 million in spending for Senate Republicans who support AI or crypto. Rounds is on that list.
## Data centers are the real battleground
South Dakota already fought over data center regulation this year. Rounds endorsed restrictions on them, but his former chief of staff is a registered lobbyist for Meta on data center issues. The state legislature rejected tax breaks for data center equipment.
## Americans don't want data centers
A Gallup poll found seven out of ten Americans oppose data center development because they consume massive amounts of water and energy that local communities subsidize. This public concern is driving AI companies to secure political allies.

> seven out of 10 Americans are opposed to data center development, given their outsized draw upon water and energy resources
## Key takeaway

AI companies are using political spending to secure allies in Congress before regulation becomes a priority, targeting races that wouldn't normally attract major funding.