● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
US Political Campaigns Spent $17M on AI Tools Since 2020, Disclosures Show
Key points
- US campaigns spent $17M on AI tools since 2020.
- 523 federal campaigns and candidates disclosed AI spending.
- OpenAI and Anthropic are key vendors, with differing partisan splits.
- Most spending is for office expenses, subscriptions, or research tools.
AI Spending in US Politics
New campaign finance disclosure data shows that US political campaigns have spent at least $17 million on AI technology vendors since 2020. This spending covers 523 federal candidates and campaigns, with additional localized data from California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington states dating back to 2022.
The data indicates that AI is becoming an essential tool in political campaigns, even as candidates remain publicly quiet about their AI usage. A September 2025 Pew survey found that over 70% of Americans would view a candidate less favorably if they used AI to write speeches.
OpenAI and Anthropic Usage
At least 80 federal campaigns and committees have reported spending with OpenAI since 2024, totaling approximately $50,000. The Republican National Committee is the largest buyer, with nearly $10,000 in reported expenses. Individual users include Republicans Mike Lawler, John Kennedy, and Bill Cassidy, and Democrats Ro Khanna and Ted Lieu.
Anthropic has seen similar adoption, with at least 65 candidates or committees paying for its services in 2026. This usage shows a nearly two-to-one Democrat-to-Republican ratio. Senator Tom Cotton's campaign is the largest individual user, reporting over $4,000 in spending on Anthropic software.
Nature of AI Tool Usage
Most reported expenses for AI tools are categorized as office expenses, staff subscriptions to ChatGPT, or research tools. The disclosures indicate that campaigns typically use either Claude or ChatGPT, rarely both. OpenAI's policies prohibit certain political uses of its ChatGPT tool.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
GitHub nesanders/federal-campaign-disclosure-aiReporting from
New campaign finance disclosures reveal that US political campaigns have spent at least $17 million on AI technology vendors since 2020. This data indicates AI is becoming a standard tool in political operations, despite public skepticism regarding its use in campaign communications.