Meta drops $65 million into super PACs to boost tech-friendly state candidates
From POLITICO: Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has set up two Super PACs with $65 million in an effort to shape policy on AI in several states. One PAC, the American Technology Excellence Project (ATEP), received $45 million and plans to operate in multiple states. The other, Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (META) California, has received $20 million and will focus on backing candidates in CA who support Meta’s preferred policies on AI. Meta is not the only tech company spending millions of dollars on state legislative races in an effort to unseat legislators with whom they don’t align.
Political ad spending is projected to reach a new high in 2026 midterms
From OpenSecrets: Early projections of 2026 campaign ad spending show that we are likely headed into yet another record-breaking election. Analysis by AdImpact projects a 20% increase from the 2022 midterms, with political spending exceeding $10 billion. Campaign spending is also starting earlier this year. As election spending grows, the price of advertising closer to the election increases, leading campaigns to start advertising ever earlier. The increased cost of advertising along with the increased length of the campaign season is one driver behind the ever-increasing spending.
R.N.C. Enters 2026 With Nearly $100 Million Edge on D.N.C.
From The New York Times: New filings with the FEC have revealed that the Republican National Committee is enjoying a massive financial advantage over the Democratic National Committee going into 2026. The DNC is in debt, owing $17.5 million with only $14 million cash on hand. On the other hand, the RNC has over $95 million and is not in debt. Although it is not uncommon for the party out of power to have trouble fundraising, the size of the disparity is notable. In comparison, in 2018, the DNC only held a net debt of $500,000, while the RNC had over $38 million in cash.
Big donors had access to Mikie Sherrill at inaugural ball. But the public won’t have access to the donor list.
From POLITICO: The newly inaugurated governor of New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, held an inaugural dinner with a minimum $100,000 price to attend. State law limits inaugural contributions to $500, but Mission to Deliver, a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organization, is able to receive unlimited donations without disclosing who its donors are. The group accepted the donations of up to $250,000 for the inaugural ball. One major donor to the nonprofit was New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, whose leader was appointed the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and which gave $1.7 million to Sherrill’s campaign. The leader of Mission to Deliver claims that the organization has “zero intention to do anything political at all,” after it “invited” Sherrill to her inaugural ball.
