Super PAC backed by AI titans pledges $5 million to boost Byron Donalds' run for Florida governor

A pro-artificial intelligence super PAC is preparing to spend about $5 million to help GOP Rep. Byron Donalds' campaign for governor of Florida — as Republicans in the state participate in a protracted fight over AI legislation backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis but opposed by the industry.

Donalds is the first candidate for governor in the country to win support from Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC that has received significant funding from industry heavyweights, including OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman and the founders of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The group has largely focused on federal races to date.

“Byron Donalds understands we’re on the cusp of a magical era of technological advancement that will unleash enormous economic benefits and protect Florida’s future, and that’s why we’re proud to support him for Governor,” Zac Moffatt, one of the group’s lead strategists, told NBC News.

Moffatt said the group will also spend some money from the overall $5 million ad campaign focusing on the “long-term, educational effort around the benefits of AI.”

In a statement, Donalds chief strategist Ryan Smith said, "America must lead in the AI space — not only to strengthen our national security, but to ensure this emerging technology reflects our values," adding: "Byron believes we should be a standard-bearer for responsible innovation while also protecting Floridians."

Selecting the Florida governor’s race as the super PAC's first state-level contest signals that the AI industry is laying the groundwork to have a larger footprint in the state, according to a source familiar with the thinking behind the move.

The Florida Legislature is in a heated fight over a package of bills championed by DeSantis, which would regulate the AI industry and limit the growth of data centers. The proposals are being blocked in the Republican-dominated state House, which has long clashed with DeSantis.

DeSantis faces term limits and cannot seek re-election this year.

Many AI industry leaders have pushed for a federal approach to regulation, rather than allowing each state to pass separate regulatory schemes. Industry skeptics, including DeSantis, have said states should be allowed to create their own regulations.

"On behalf of our respective organizations, we write to express our strong support for a targeted federal approach that temporarily preempts certain state laws and regulations specific to artificial intelligence," Adam Thierer, a senior fellow for the R Street Institute's Technology and Innovation Team, wrote in a letter to Congress last month.

The Florida AI bills have not gotten hearings in the state House as the 2026 legislative session reached its midway point, most likely a sign that they will not pass the chamber this year.

Leading the Future has not yet booked airtime for pro-Donalds TV ads, but it says it will begin to make reservations in the near future. That means ads are likely to start hitting the airwaves as state lawmakers continue to consider DeSantis’ AI bills.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration and allies have also been involved in the Florida AI fight.

Trump administration AI czar David Sacks and Taylor Budowich, a former Trump administration official who is now an outside political adviser, have both been in contact with state officials expressing their opposition to the DeSantis-backed plan, according to a source familiar with those conversations.

Donalds, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and has already raised $50 million for the 2026 election, is widely seen as the GOP front-runner in Florida, which leans heavily Republican. He is running in a primary that includes Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former state House Speaker Paul Renner and James Fishback.

His campaign did not reply to a request for comment.

NBC News reported in October that the White House was initially unhappy with Leading the Future when it launched because, in part, it was being led by former staffers of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Any group run by Schumer acolytes will not have the blessing of the president or his team,” a White House official familiar with the issue said at the time.

Since then, tensions have cooled a bit, according to a source familiar with the relationship.

“Leading the Future has made efforts to work with Trump’s outside political advisors on their work to support the president’s AI action plan,” the person said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com