Fairshake and AI PACs pour $100m into midterms
Fairshake has spent $28 million in 2026 primaries as a new poll shows most Americans distrust crypto and AI, raising questions about the political value of industry-backed super PAC money.Fairshake and pro-AI PAC Leading the Future have together spent over $100 million in 2026 midterm races, according to federal filings and published reporting.A Public First poll for Politico in April found 45% of Americans say investing in crypto is too risky, and 44% say AI is developing too fast.Only 3% of survey respondents recognise Fairshake by name, but analysts warn backlash could be swift once voters connect the spending to the industries behind it. Fairshake, the pro-crypto super PAC backed by Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, and Ripple, has spent $28 million across competitive 2026 primaries. Combined with pro-AI group Leading the Future, which launched in August 2025 and has raised more than $75 million, the two industry-aligned groups have together deployed over $100 million in the current midterm cycle. The spending arrives against a difficult backdrop. A Public First poll conducted for Politico in April, surveying 2,035 US adults, found 45% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, 44% say AI is developing too fast, and nearly two-thirds want