Industry-backed super PACs representing crypto and artificial intelligence interests are committing tens of millions of dollars to the 2026 midterm campaigns, even as a new poll shows widespread public skepticism of both industries. An April survey by Public First for Politico found 45% of Americans believe investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, and 44% say AI is advancing too quickly. Nearly half of respondents said they trust traditional banks more than crypto platforms, and two-thirds want Congress to impose strict rules or broad oversight principles on AI.
Those attitudes could create headaches for candidates who accept backing from industry-aligned super PACs. In hypothetical matchups, voters were much less likely to support candidates backed by groups advocating looser AI regulation than those endorsed by organizations pushing for tougher tech rules. The report warned that “skepticism of the industries… could turn into voter backlash if Americans grow fed up with the heavy spending.”
The online poll, conducted April 11–14, surveyed 2,035 U.S. adults. Results were weighted by age, race, gender, geography and education, with a margin of sampling error of ±2.2 percentage points.
Pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, launched in August 2025, has raised more than $75 million and put money into primaries in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and New York. Fairshake, a pro-crypto PAC backed by Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz and Ripple Labs, has spent roughly $28 million in competitive primaries. Both sectors are also ramping up lobbying: OpenAI and Anthropic reported record lobbying expenditures in the first quarter of 2026, and the crypto industry is pushing the CLARITY Act through the Senate, a market-structure bill intended to create regulatory certainty for digital assets.
The piece notes that in 2024 a PAC affiliated with Fairshake spent more than $40 million in efforts that helped defeat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who is running again. Despite large spending totals, most voters recognize few of these groups: only 9% identified Leading the Future and just 3% knew the name Fairshake. Political observers caution that linking candidates to crypto or AI money could prompt rapid voter backlash. “I do think if they see somebody is backed by crypto, that’s always going to be a problem,” former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci said.
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