Washington, D.C. — Public First Action, Jobs and Democracy PAC, and Defending Our Values PAC today congratulated the candidates they supported who won in races across the country, from San Francisco to the Atlanta suburbs and Texas.
Big Tech spent this cycle trying to buy a Congress that would leave artificial intelligence companies to regulate themselves. It failed. The results show voters want representatives who support meaningful guardrails on AI. The ideological diversity of candidates who back regulating AI speaks to the breadth and depth of support for imposing safeguards on AI. Between polling, political contributions, issue advocacy, and independent expenditures, Public First Action, Jobs and Democracy PAC, and Defending Our Values PAC have been active in at least 78 districts and states.
Public First Action
In California’s 11th District, state Sen. Scott Wiener maintains a significant lead and is expected to win the San Francisco seat held for nearly four decades by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Wiener authored the nation’s first broad frontier AI regulation law, SB 53. In both the primary and the general election, Public First Action contributed to Abundant Future PAC, which supported Wiener.
In Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey won reelection to the U.S. Senate for a third term. Markey led a bipartisan effort in the Senate to prevent the passage of a ten-year moratorium on state AI laws. Public First Action contributed $500,000 in the primary election to Commonwealth Together PAC, which supported Markey.
Jobs and Democracy PAC
In North Carolina’s 4th District, Rep. Valerie Foushee, co-chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI, won reelection. Jobs and Democracy PAC supported Foushee in her primary race.
In Texas’s 33rd District, former Rep. Colin Allred won election to Congress. Jobs and Democracy PAC supported Allred in his primary race.
In Colorado’s 8th District, state Rep. Manny Rutinel defeated Republican Rep. Gabe Evans. Rutinel sponsored the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act, one of the first state laws in the nation to regulate AI. Jobs and Democracy PAC supported Rutinel in the general election, and Public First Action contributed to a super PAC that supported Rutinel in the primary.
In Ohio’s 7th District, union ironworker Brian Poindexter flipped a seat that President Trump carried by 11 points in 2024. Jobs and Democracy PAC supported Poindexter in the May primary, where he came first in an eight-candidate field.
In Pennsylvania’s 7th District, Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, won in the Lehigh Valley. Jobs and Democracy PAC supported Brooks in the May primary, where he won a four-candidate field.
“Voters in both parties delivered the same verdict tonight,” said Brad Carson, co-founder of Public First Action. “Americans elected leaders from both parties who will put safeguards on AI and make sure it benefits American workers, families, and communities, not the tech oligarchs. This is a crushing blow to the AI industry’s anti-regulatory efforts to buy a Congress that would look the other way. Poll after poll shows that a supermajority of Americans want stronger guardrails on AI. Now we’ll have a Congress that can answer them, and we look forward to keeping up the fight to see it through.”
Defending Our Values PAC
In Georgia’s 11th District, neurosurgeon John Cowan won the open seat held by retiring Rep. Barry Loudermilk. Defending Our Values PAC supported Cowan in the primary and general elections.
In Utah’s 3rd District, Rep. Celeste Maloy won reelection. Defending Our Values PAC supported Maloy in her June primary, which she won by a two-to-one margin.
In Oklahoma, Rep. Kevin Hern won the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Defending Our Values PAC supported Hern in the June primary .
In Nebraska, Sen. Pete Ricketts won a full term. Defending Our Values PAC supported Ricketts in the May primary.
“The risks of AI are not Democratic or Republican, and tonight's results show voters everywhere are rightfully concerned,” said Chris Stewart, co-founder of Public First Action. “These candidates will put the interests of workers, families and kids ahead of Big Tech’s profits and together they are part of a Congress with a chance to deliver on that promise.”
For more information, please contact Public First Action at media@publicfirst.us.
