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AI, crypto spending sees mixed payoff in Illinois |
Artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency groups saw a mix of key losses and a few wins in Tuesday night's primaries in Illinois, as midterms continue to serve as a litmus test of the tech groups' spending power in 2026. |
AI and crypto spending groups have shaped up to be some of the largest campaign donors in the 2026 midterms as they push for influence in the nation's capital. Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by Silicon Valley executives, saw mixed results in the Prairie State on Tuesday. Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), who received about $1.4 million from Think Big, a subsidiary of Leading the Future, was defeated in the Democratic primary for Rep. Robin Kelly's (D-Ill.) seat by Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller. It's worth noting the Jobs and Democracy PAC, backed by AI firm Anthropic, threw about $1 million in campaign spending against Jackson, according to the Associated Press. Still, Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), who received about $1.2 million by Leading the Future, did win the Democratic primary for Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's (D-Ill.) seat. LTF co-strategist Josh Vlasto said in a statement that Bean "recognizes" the U.S. "must work toward a national regulatory framework for AI" involving job creation, China competition and kids safety. LTF "looks forward to working with leaders who will prioritize innovation over doomerism," Vlasto added. The mixed results come after Leading the Future's candidates won all but one of the primary races earlier this month in Texas and North Carolina. In Texas, LTF-backed candidate Jace Yarborough clinched the GOP nomination on Tuesday after his primary opponent, Ryan Binkley, withdrew. |
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. |
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
Trump administration argues Pentagon's Anthropic ban is justified, lawful |
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The Trump administration is doubling down on its decision to cut ties with Anthropic, arguing in a new court filing that the move is "lawful and reasonable" and not a violation of free speech, as the artificial intelligence (AI) firm alleges. The Department of Justice (DOJ), in an expected court filing Tuesday, urged a federal judge in California to reject Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction on the Pentagon's labeling … |
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Will 2026 be the year of the 'super app'? |
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(NewsNation) — Technology continues to evolve for smartphones, and now a phenomenon could take over the entire landscape in 2026 — “super apps.” They’re described by experts as applications that build upon core functionality to mix and mash a bunch of seemingly unrelated services into one place. “As more transactions become digitized, co-locating new functionality into a single app can help minimize … |
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Slotkin introduces bill limiting Pentagon AI use |
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) moved ahead with efforts to limit the Pentagon's use of AI, introducing a bill on Tuesday that would establish guardrails related to autonomous and nuclear weapons. The bill, titled the AI Guardrails Act, would prohibit the Department of Defense (DOD) from using autonomous weapons to kill without human authorization, and using AI for domestic mass surveillance and nuclear weapons launch. It is … |
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Arizona accuses Kalshi of operating illegal gambling business |
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Authorities in Arizona have filed criminal charges against the prediction market provider Kalshi, becoming the first state to do so and setting up a legal battle that would get to the core of growing questions about the company’s business. The 20-count criminal charges allege that Kalshi accepted bets from Arizona residents on a wide range of events, which prosecutors argue constitute a violation of Arizona law. The events … |
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
- Microsoft weighs legal action over Amazon-OpenAI cloud deal (Financial Times)
- Kash Patel says FBI buys data that can be used to track people (Politico)
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Crypto super PACs suffer key losses in Illinois |
The leading super PAC for the crypto industry and its affiliates put their massive war chest to work ahead of the Illinois primaries but ultimately fell short in two high-spending races. Fairshake, which touted major successes in the 2024 election, opposed Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the Democratic Senate primary and Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford in the Democratic primary for the 7th congressional district. Both ultimately won their races. The super PAC spent more than $10 million on the Senate primary, mostly opposing Stratton, and nearly $2.5 million against Ford. It had more than $193 million in cash on hand at the start of 2026. However, Fairshake did notch some successes Tuesday. It opposed Illinois state Sen. Robert Peters in the Democratic primary for the 2nd congressional district, who ultimately lost, while backing Bean and Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) in their successful bids. It spent more than $800,000 against Peters, while putting about $550,000 toward supporting Bean and nearly $84,000 behind Budzinski. |
Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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