New AI-backed group spends $1.5 million on Kansas governor race

Political money tied to the artificial intelligence industry has entered the Kansas gubernatorial race. A person familiar with the spending said on Monday that Building the Future, a new pro-data center super PAC, is spending more than $1.5 million to support state Sen. Ty Masterson, a Republican.

Building the Future is an offshoot of Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by major figures in the AI sector. Leading the Future is considered the primary super PAC promoting industry interests during the midterm elections. The new group is also deploying funds in South Carolina. The New York Times reported earlier on Monday that Building the Future plans to spend approximately $1.5 million on advertising to assist GOP Sen. Darline Graham in her Senate contest.

The formation of Building the Future was announced in August by Build American AI, a nonprofit within the Leading the Future network. At that time, the nonprofit also launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The campaign aimed to promote policies favoring data center growth. The group stated it would support candidates who advocate for policies that strengthen communities, preserve water, and prevent electricity rate hikes while maintaining US leadership in AI.

Data center expansion has become a central issue for voters nationwide as opposition to the facilities grows. In Kansas, the governor's race is one of the few Democratic-held seats Republicans are attempting to flip this fall. The Cook Political Report rates the contest as leaning Republican. The state also features a competitive Senate race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton.

Republican candidate Darline Holscher criticized the spending in a statement on Monday. She described Masterson as a "stooge for Big Tech" who wants to place a data center on every corner and in every cornfield. Holscher argued that Masterson would provide tax breaks to the industry while costs rise for everyday residents. She added that billionaire CEOs are spending millions to defeat her because she will not follow their directions, and she pledged to fight for guardrails on data centers.

Masterson did not immediately provide comment. In Kansas, Masterson has opposed moratoriums on development and supported a 2025 law providing sales tax exemptions for data center investments. Holscher voted for that law as well but has since called for a statewide moratorium. In South Carolina, Graham has framed data center investments as a national security necessity while supporting local control over construction. Her opponent, Annie Andrews, has called for a moratorium and labeled Graham "Data Center Darline."

The spending marks a direct entry by the AI industry's political arm into two key state races. The funds target candidates who have positioned themselves in favor of data center expansion. Both races feature high-profile contests where the issue of data center growth is a stated point of division between the parties.