The Scoop
Tomorrow Together, an AI-focused Democratic PAC, is moving into Senate races with $2.5 million in ads against Republican Sens. Jon Husted in Ohio and Roger Marshall in Kansas, according to an announcement shared first with Semafor.
The group, founded by Biden White House alum Rob Flaherty and former Bernie Sanders spokesman Karthik Ganapathy, is “focused on building political support for AI regulation and ensuring voters trust Democrats on AI issues,” Ganapathy told Semafor.
The Ohio and Kansas ads paint Husted and Marshall as beholden to data center projects and “tech guys” who want to “take our land … our water … our quiet” and jobs. A second ad running in both Ohio and Kansas focuses on former Trump AI czar and venture capitalist David Sacks and his influence with the Republican incumbents.
“Republicans gave Sacks a government job pushing AI data centers and blocking AI regulation. Sacks gets rich. His friends get rich. The only person who loses… is you,” the ad states.
Tomorrow Together previously announced $4 million in spending in House races in Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Ashley’s view
Concerns about AI and technology have simmered under the surface of American campaign politics for years, but have never been a fully salient everyday issue for voters until lately.
Democrats are trying to tune their messaging to ensure they are seen as more trustworthy on AI issues and paint themselves as the party that will pass AI regulation. The decision to jump into competitive Senate races just before the midterm elections shows that Democrats think they can break through to voters concerned about AI with this argument.
The real test will come if and when Democrats gain back power in Congress. The party will need to unite its different factions and bring along enough Republicans if it wants to tackle AI regulation, a highly difficult feat with a regulation-opposed Trump still in the White House.
Notable
- Husted led a bill that aimed to address concerns over data center electricity costs, but Senate Democrats said it lacked teeth and blocked it from being considered last month.