Poll: Americans uneasy with AI, crypto even as they spend big on midterms

Political groups with significant financial resources, linked to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, are rapidly transforming the landscape of midterm campaign financing. However, many Americans are uncomfortable with the industries behind this spending.

According to The POLITICO Poll, widespread public skepticism exists regarding crypto and AI, potentially creating a conflict for candidates receiving substantial contributions from these sectors. These organizations are investing millions of dollars into competitive 2026 races to promote politicians they believe will support their objectives in Washington.

At the same time, Americans have been hesitant to fully embrace these technologies.

A survey conducted in April by the independent firm Public First reveals that 45 percent of Americans consider investing in cryptocurrency too risky, despite its potential for high returns. Additionally, 44 percent believe AI is advancing too rapidly.

Nearly half of Americans trust traditional banks more than cryptocurrency platforms with their money, with only 17 percent expressing the opposite view. Furthermore, two-thirds support lawmakers in imposing strict regulations or establishing broad principles for the AI industry.

The findings present a growing challenge for these industries as their aligned super PACs aim to convert financial power into political influence. Several of these groups are already becoming dominant forces in the political arena, heavily funding candidates across both parties and sometimes rivaling long-established party organizations in fundraising efforts.

It remains too early to predict how candidates associated with these groups will perform in November, and the two industries may elicit different reactions from voters. In hypothetical matchups, respondents were less likely to support candidates backed by groups advocating for looser AI regulations compared to those promoting stricter rules on AI and tech companies. Respondents also showed greater support for groups advocating for environmental protection and climate change prevention policies.

The skepticism toward these industries, as suggested by these results, could lead to voter backlash if Americans become frustrated with substantial spending.

“Democrats’ best approach is to make their spending an issue,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has been outspoken about the need for AI regulation. “People do not want AI companies to run them over culturally and economically. They don’t trust crypto.”

Some resistance to the AI and crypto groups may reflect broader American dissatisfaction with the influence of special interest groups in politics. A 41 percent plurality believes these groups wield too much power, while 23 percent think they have the right amount, and only 12 percent say they have too little influence.

However, AI and crypto super PACs are reaching a new level, generating significant political ripples. These groups could easily become the largest spenders in any House or Senate race they choose to engage in.

Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC established in August, has already amassed over $75 million since its inception, according to recent reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Through a network of PACs, it has allocated funds for primaries in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, and New York, supporting candidates from both major parties. Fairshake, a pro-crypto group primarily funded by Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, and Ripple Labs, plans to support candidates from both parties as well and has already spent $28 million across several competitive primaries through its network of PACs.

Both industries are heavily investing in Washington lobbyists to ensure their influence extends beyond Election Day. The AI lobby has expanded significantly in recent years; OpenAI and Anthropic spent record amounts on lobbyists in the first quarter of 2026. Similarly, the crypto industry has invested millions in lobbying efforts to urge Congress to implement comprehensive regulatory changes for digital assets.

“The universal thread, from their perspective, is, I think an attempt to maintain a degree of bipartisanship and identify people whom they think will be champions on these issues,” said Jason Thielman, former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, regarding the crypto-aligned groups.

In the crypto industry, super PAC spending is focused on advancing a market structure bill called the CLARITY Act, pending in the Senate. Industry executives and lobbyists hope the proposed legislation will grant the industry legitimacy from Washington and provide long-term regulatory certainty for digital tokens.

The super PAC money serves as both incentive and deterrent: It can benefit lawmakers in tight reelection contests in 2026 who support the industry’s goals, while potentially posing a threat to those who oppose them.

In 2024, a super PAC affiliated with Fairshake spent over $40 million to unseat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio. Brown, a known crypto critic, is running again and may once more be a primary target for the crypto PAC network.

“Crypto groups are absolutely becoming a disruptive force in political spending, including in Ohio,” said former Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Renacci, who unsuccessfully ran against Brown in 2018. “But let’s face it, they’re not unique. It’s just the latest version of outside money.”

Fairshake declined to comment.

The AI groups heavily investing in elections aim to ensure their emerging industry is governed by a single set of federal regulations, rather than a patchwork of state laws, as state legislators rapidly pass new laws regulating the technology. While the White House and congressional Republicans generally support this goal, they have proposed light-touch regulations that many Democrats deem insufficient. Although the tech sector tends to favor the GOP’s deregulatory approach, some lobbyists are open to strong federal rules on AI in exchange for a ban on state laws.

“A national framework will prevent a patchwork of conflicting state laws from harming our ability to win the global AI race against China,” Leading the Future spokesperson Jesse Hunt said in a statement.

However, polling suggests these industries’ efforts may encounter broader public skepticism.

More than half of Americans say they have never and would not consider buying or trading cryptocurrency. Regarding artificial intelligence, nearly half of respondents believe it is likely to eliminate more jobs than it creates, and a 43 percent plurality views the technology’s risks as outweighing its benefits.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done to help the voting public fully appreciate the national security threat that we face if we are not first in [the AI] race,” Thielman said of AI-affiliated groups. “It’s essential that [the] industry continue to invest very aggressively here, both to increasingly educate the public, educate policy makers because the issue is somewhat mixed from a public opinion perspective.”

The skepticism transcends party lines, with pluralities of voters for both Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 expressing that investing in crypto is not worth the risk, even if it promises high returns. A near majority of both groups — 49 percent of Harris voters and 46 percent of Trump voters — feel AI is advancing too swiftly.

Currently, many super PACs linked to the AI and crypto industries remain relatively unknown to the general public, allowing them to operate under the radar.

Americans tend to associate political spending with more established industries, with a 29 percent plurality incorrectly identifying groups representing the oil and natural gas industry as the largest spenders in the midterms — surpassing AI and tech groups or crypto-backed organizations.

Only nine percent of Americans have heard of Leading the Future, the pro-AI super PAC, and a mere three percent are aware of Fairshake, the pro-crypto PAC. Meanwhile, 48 percent of Americans have heard of the National Rifle Association, and 36 percent recognize the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“Until people realize where the money’s coming in from, a lot of people don’t judge it,” Renacci said. “But I do think if they see somebody is backed by crypto, that’s always going to be a problem, because, let’s face it, the people that I talk to in Ohio, they don’t understand crypto, and most say they’re not comfortable with [it].”