Political groups and donors connected to AI companies have directed close to $1 million toward Republican Senator Mike Rounds’ reelection effort in South Dakota, even though the race is not considered highly competitive. The spending reflects a broader push by the technology industry to retain allies as Congress considers AI regulation.
WIRED reports that outside groups have spent about $600,000 benefiting Rounds, most of it from Defend American Jobs, a super PAC linked to funding from Andreessen Horowitz. Employees and political groups affiliated with AI labs and technology companies have contributed roughly another $215,000, with Anthropic particularly prominent. Rounds had raised more from technology interests than from donors in his home state.
The support arrives while South Dakota debates the local costs of the infrastructure behind AI. State lawmakers passed a measure requiring hyperscale data-center operators to shoulder more water and energy costs, and they rejected tax breaks tied to one planned development. Rounds ultimately backed restrictions on data centers. Separately, another AI- and crypto-backed super PAC announced $2 million for a group of supportive Senate Republicans that included him. The spending does not by itself establish how Rounds will vote, but it shows that AI policy groups are investing even in relatively safe seats where a favored incumbent could influence future federal rules.