--- title: "Meta Plans To Pledge $65 Million In Support Of AI-Friendly State Politicians: Report" description: "Meta Platforms Inc. plans to invest $65 million in 2026 to support state politicians who favor the AI industry. This initiative, starting in Texas and Illinois, is Meta's largest election-related expe" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276447680.md" published_at: "2026-02-20T13:18:21.000Z" --- # Meta Plans To Pledge $65 Million In Support Of AI-Friendly State Politicians: Report > Meta Platforms Inc. plans to invest $65 million in 2026 to support state politicians who favor the AI industry. This initiative, starting in Texas and Illinois, is Meta's largest election-related expenditure to date. The company aims to counteract potential regulatory threats to AI development by launching two new super PACs: Forge the Future Project for Republicans and Making Our Tomorrow for Democrats. This move comes amid increased political spending ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with significant contributions from other tech leaders like Elon Musk. **Meta Platforms Inc.** (NASDAQ:META) reportedly plans to invest $65 million in 2026 to back state politicians who are supportive of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The initiative will kick off this week in Texas and Illinois and marks the company’s largest election-related expenditure to date, The New York Times reported earlier this week. However, in light of potential regulatory threats to the AI industry, Meta is escalating its political involvement. The company’s goal is to counteract any legislation in states that could potentially obstruct AI development. As part of this strategy, Meta has launched two new super political action committees (PACs), *Forge the Future Project* and *Making Our Tomorrow,* which will support Republicans and Democrats, respectively. These PACs join two others previously established by Meta, bringing the total initial budget to $65 million. Forge the Future Project, led by **Brian Baker**, a GOP strategist, is gearing up to support pro-Republican legislators in Texas, home to Meta's three AI data centers. On the other hand, Making Our Tomorrow in Illinois concentrates on electing Democrats who advocate for their policy priorities. Meta has generally taken a cautious approach to politics, contributing modestly via its corporate PACs and making donations to presidential inaugurations. Last year, CEO **Mark Zuckerberg** donated $1 million to President **Donald Trump**‘s inauguration. Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment. ## Surge in Political Spending Amid AI Push The report of Meta’s investment comes amid a surge in political fundraising ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Billionaire **Elon Musk** also resumed his financial support for Republicans, making significant donations, despite announcing in 2025 that he planned to pull back from political spending. Earlier this month, Trump’s political fundraising reached $375 million, a significant amount that could potentially reshape the upcoming midterms and future elections. Meanwhile, the regulatory environment for technology is poised for a marked shift. In December, Trump signed an executive order establishing a national AI framework, aiming to override state regulations he says hinder U.S. leadership. He emphasized AI's importance for national security and economic dominance, warning that state-level laws threaten America's position in the global AI race. ***Disclaimer:*** *This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.* *Image via Shutterstock* ### Related Stocks - [METW.US - Roundhill META WeeklyPay ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METW.US.md) - [IGV.US - iShares Expanded Tech Software Sector ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IGV.US.md) - [FBL.US - GraniteShares 2x Long META Daily ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBL.US.md) - [XSW.US - SPDR S&P Software](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XSW.US.md) - [METU.US - Direxion Daily Meta Bull 2x Shares](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METU.US.md) - [META.US - Meta Platforms](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/META.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | Meta 擬部署「數百萬夥」Nvidia 晶片 進一步加強合作關係 | Meta 計劃在未來幾年內部署數百萬顆 Nvidia 的 Blackwell 與 Rubin GPU，進一步加強與 Nvidia 的合作關係。此舉將使 Meta 更多地使用 Nvidia 的 AI 處理器和網絡設備，預計將為 Nvidia | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276193053.md) | | Meta 的人工智能希望在你去世後仍然保持你的發帖活動 | Meta Platforms 探索了一項專利，旨在利用人工智能模擬用户在去世後的聲音和行為，使賬户在死後仍然保持活躍。儘管這一想法引發了倫理方面的擔憂，但它反映了對 “悲傷科技” 的日益關注，該科技旨在重現已故個體的個性。首席執行官馬克·扎 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276467506.md) | | Meta AI 負責人表示，個人超級智能的設計目的並不是讓你一直沉迷於刷屏：‘我知道人們會對此持懷疑態度……’ | 在 2026 年印度人工智能影響峯會上，Meta 的人工智能負責人 Alexandr Wang 為公司的 “個人超級智能” 願景辯護，強調其目標是賦能用户離線，而不是促進屏幕成癮。他承認公眾的懷疑，但辯稱 Meta 的商業利益與負責任的人工 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276402659.md) | | 蘋果舉辦特別活動 iPhone 17e 及多款 Mac 有望亮相 | 蘋果公司將於 3 月 4 日舉行名為「Special Apple Experience」的特別活動，首次在紐約、倫敦和上海同步舉辦。此次活動可能會推出平價版 MacBook 和入門級 iPhone 17e，後者預計售價約 599 美元，搭載 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276430531.md) | | 在 Meta 大規模的 AI 支出預測下，接下來會發生什麼？ | Meta Platforms (META) 在強勁的第四季度財報後股價上漲，但隨後有所回落。投資者對預計在 2026 年達到 1350 億美元的資本支出感到擔憂，這幾乎是人工智能支出的兩倍。分析師們意見不一；一些人看好 Meta 龐大的用户 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/275985012.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.