Dan Osborn Declares He Will Not Accept AI Contributions Following Anthropic Fundraiser

On September 23, Dan Osborn, an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, attended a private fundraising event in Washington, D.C., co-hosted by a lobbyist from Anthropic. The following day, he publicly announced at a press conference that he would ‘never’ accept donations from AI firms, criticizing his Republican opponent for receiving funds from these sources.

The fundraiser, organized by Amy Tejral and other AI industry lobbyists, charged attendees up to $8,500 to support Osborn’s campaign. Tejral, who lobbies for Anthropic, expressed concerns about AI safety and is compensated $60,000 monthly. Less than a day after mingling with lobbyists advocating for AI interests, Osborn denounced AI donors and took aim at Pete Ricketts, the GOP incumbent, claiming he does not and will never take such contributions.