Cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industry groups are pumping tens of millions of dollars into the 2026 midterm elections, but a recent poll shows that most Americans don’t trust any industry.
45% of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, and 44% say artificial intelligence is developing too rapid. According to in an April poll conducted by Public First for Politico. The survey also found that almost half trust a established bank through a crypto platform, and two-thirds want Congress to impose strict regulations or broad oversight rules on artificial intelligence.
The numbers spell trouble for candidates taking money from super PACs working with the industry. In hypothetical matchups, respondents were much less likely to support candidates backed by groups pushing for looser AI regulations than those backed by groups calling for tighter tech regulations.
“These results suggest that skepticism about industries may turn into voter backlash if Americans become fed up with high spending,” the report says.
The poll was conducted April 11-14 among 2,035 U.S. adults. Results were weighted by age, race, gender, geographic location, and education level, with an overall margin of sampling error of ±2.2 percentage points.
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AI, Crypto PACs Are Spending Big Money
The pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, which launched in August 2025, has raised over $75 million and contributed funds in primaries in North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and New York. Fairshake, a pro-crypto PAC backed by Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz and Ripple Labs, has already spent $28 million on the competitive primary.
source: Politician
Both industries also spend a lot of money on lobbyists. OpenAI and Anthropic saw record lobbying spending in the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, the crypto industry is pushing the CLARITY Act through the Senate, a market structure bill it hopes will provide regulatory certainty for digital assets.
In 2024, a Fairshake-affiliated PAC spent more than $40 million to lend a hand defeat Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a longtime cryptocurrency critic who is now running again.
Related: Crypto PAC grant halts Texas AG support for Senate: report
Crypto, AI PACs are flying under the radar
For now, most voters do not know that such groups exist. Only 9% have heard of Leading the Future and only 3% recognize Fairshake. But political observers told Politico that once voters link money to the industries behind it, the backlash could be swift.
“I think if they see someone being backed by cryptocurrencies, that’s always going to be a problem,” former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci reportedly said.
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