Public First / Public First Action
- HQ / base
- Washington DC
- Founded
- 2025
- Money
- $50M pledged; $20M from Anthropic to the c4; super PAC raised $1.5M by Mar 2026
- Status
- —
The pro-regulation counter-network founded by ex-Reps. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Brad Carson (D-OK): Public First Action (501c4, recipient of Anthropic's $20M — the first lab-funded electoral vehicle FOR regulation) feeds the Public First super PAC (FEC C00930503; other donor: AI-safety academic Michael Cohen, $500k), which disburses to operating arms Jobs and Democracy PAC ($740k) and Defending Our Values PAC ($300k). Backed winners in NC-04, TX-35 and Republican Celeste Maloy in UT-03; part of the $19.26M pro-safety push for Bores in NY-12. Mirror image of Leading the Future. EA tie: documented.
Connections
- Anthropic$20M (2025)
- Sen. Scott Wiener (D-CA)backs pro-regulation candidates
- Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI)Brad Carson co-founded both
- Sen. Scott Wiener (D-CA)beneficiary alignment (CA-11 run)
- Jobs and Democracy PAC & Defending Our Values PACfunds operating arms ($740k + $300k)
- Transformer AI Campaign Finance Trackertracks (FEC data)