AI Spending in US Political Campaigns Revealed

New campaign finance data reveals that at least $17 million has been spent on AI tools by US political campaigns since 2020. Major AI vendors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI are seeing varied usage, with OpenAI slightly favoring Republicans and Anthropic leaning more Democratic. Specialized political AI tools, such as AmplifAI and Daisychain for text messaging, are also significant spending targets, with Daisychain gaining traction among Democrats and Campaign Nucleus among Republicans. State-level spending on AI is growing rapidly, though deepfake tools see limited reported use. The data suggests that much of the AI spending by campaigns is likely underreported, with consultants and other vendors contributing significantly to the overall AI usage in politics.