Anthropic-backed AI group puts $3.5 million behind Scott Wiener’s House run

An AI policy group funded by Anthropic has spent $3 million backing Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener in his campaign to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress. The money trail The group is Public First Action, an AI policy nonprofit that launched this election cycle. Anthropic is its primary funder, and it pushes for stronger AI regulation. According to the research findings, Public First Action committed the additional $3 million as of October 13, 2026. Earlier in the cycle, the group directed $500,000 to a super PAC supporting Wiener’s bid. With the new tranche, its total commitment to his candidacy now tops $3.5 million. The seat in question belonged to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Wiener is considered the leading candidate to take it over. Why Anthropic likes Wiener His first major swing was SB 1047, a California AI safety bill that was vetoed in 2024. It became one of the most fought-over tech bills of that year. He came back with SB 53, which passed in 2025. The law requires frontier AI developers, meaning the companies building the most powerful models, to follow reporting and transparency measures. Anthropic endorsed SB 53 in September 2025, putting it on the record as a ...