AI Becomes Focus of Massachusetts Senate Primary as Anthropic Spends $500,000 to Support Candidate Markey

According to CNBC, the Democratic Senate primary in Massachusetts will take place next Tuesday, with artificial intelligence emerging as a central focus. The race between incumbent Senator Ed Markey, 80, and Representative Seth Moulton, 47, continues to heat up. Moulton seized on Markey's gaffe during a debate where he admitted to not knowing whether he uses AI himself, turning it into a campaign ad that cited the incident as exactly "why we need a new generation of leaders." Public First Action, an organization supported by Anthropic, donated $500,000 to the Markey-supporting PAC "Commonwealth Together," citing Markey's "clear support for AI regulation" and his leadership in driving a 99-to-1 vote to remove a statewide AI regulatory ban provision from a budget reconciliation bill. Anthropic has previously donated $20 million to the organization. Both candidates advocate for stronger AI regulation: Moulton calls for federal AI legislation, while Markey has introduced an "AI Accountability Agenda." Markey also boasts endorsements from prominent progressive figures such as Sanders, Warren, and Ocasio-Cortez. Latest polls show Markey leading Moulton by 35 percentage points, 63% to 28%.