NOVEMBER 6TH · 9 SLIDES

Outside AI Money in Alaska's Senate Race, Mapped

Most Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI employees who gave in Alaska's Senate race live in California. Not one lists an Alaska address.

The deck

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The story

An Alaska Beacon analysis of FEC records found at least 19 of them gave about $119,000. No Senate race this year drew more.

Inside the border, the race stood 637 votes apart in the unofficial count as of November 4th.

Peltola got at least $56,000. Sullivan got about $63,000 plus $35,000 to his leadership PAC.

Ranked choices get tabulated November 18th. The dollars came from Outside. The count that settles the seat happens inside.

Both campaigns' money on one scale and the national ranking with and without Big Tech. Then the joint committees, the Air Force land offer and the unofficial count.

Should voters weigh money from donors with no Alaska address differently than a neighbor's?

What we verified

72 CLAIMS, EACH RE-FETCHED FROM ITS SOURCE BEFORE THIS DECK SHIPPED

  1. The FEC sets the 2025 to 2026 limit for an individual giving to a candidate committee at $3,500 per election.

  2. FEC records show Peter Corsell, listing Twenty First Century Utilities as employer, gave $7,000 to Sullivan Victory on May 1st.

  3. Alaskans for Dan Sullivan reported Corsell as the source of $3,500 for the primary and $3,500 for the general on May 1st, both entries labeled transfer memo.

  4. FEC records show Aaron Kapito, listing TFC Utilities as employer, gave $3,500 to Sullivan Victory on April 24th.

  5. Alaskans for Dan Sullivan reported Kapito as the source of $3,500 for the primary on April 24th, labeled transfer memo.

  6. Alaskans for Dan Sullivan reported Charles Hu, managing partner of Saige Consulting, as the source of $3,500 for the primary and $3,500 for the general on April 24th, labeled transfer memo.

  7. The OpenFEC employer aggregation for Alaskans for Dan Sullivan shows $28,000 from 10 contributions by donors listing Anthropic as employer in the 2026 cycle.

  8. The same FEC aggregation shows a further $7,000 from 3 contributions by donors listing Anthropic PBC as employer to Alaskans for Dan Sullivan.

  9. The OpenFEC employer aggregation for Alaskans for Mary shows a single $3,500 contribution from a donor listing Anthropic as employer in the 2026 cycle.

  10. The Air Force solicitation AFCEC-26-R-0006 covers AI data center development at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base and Clear Space Force Station.

  11. The SAM.gov record for AFCEC-26-R-0006 lists a response deadline of June 29th at 5 p.m. Eastern.

  12. The SAM.gov record for the Air Force AI data center solicitation is marked inactive.

  13. The SAM.gov record shows 10 modifications, the latest made July 15th.

  14. As of November 7th the SAM.gov record for the Air Force AI data center solicitation lists no awardee.

  15. An FEC analysis published by the Alaska Beacon found that Alaska's U.S. Senate race drew more money from AI company employees than any other 2026 Senate race.

  16. At least 19 AI company employees gave to the campaigns of Sen. Dan Sullivan and challenger Mary Peltola, according to the Beacon analysis.

  17. Those AI company employees gave about $119,000 to the Sullivan and Peltola campaigns combined, according to the Beacon analysis.

  18. Most of those donors gave close to the maximum legal contribution, according to the Beacon analysis.

  19. Many of the donations to both candidates came from employees of Anthropic, according to the Beacon analysis.

  20. None of the AI company donors listed an Alaska address, and most live in California, according to the Beacon analysis.

  21. Peltola received at least $56,000 from AI company employees, according to the Beacon analysis.

  22. Nearly all of Peltola's AI employee money came from Anthropic employees, according to the Beacon analysis.

  23. Sullivan's campaign received about $63,000 from AI company employees, according to the Beacon analysis.

  24. Another $35,000 from AI company employees went to Sullivan's leadership PAC, True North, according to the Beacon analysis.

  25. Sullivan's combined AI employee total, campaign plus leadership PAC, was about $98,000, according to the Beacon analysis.

  26. Sullivan ranked fifth among Senate candidates nationwide in donations from AI company employees, according to the Beacon analysis.

  27. Peltola ranked 14th among Senate candidates nationwide in donations from AI company employees, according to the Beacon analysis.

  28. The top Senate candidate nationally for AI employee money was Republican Mike Rounds of South Dakota with $165,100, according to the Beacon analysis.

  29. A donor can give a federal candidate $3,500 per election, or $7,000 for the primary and general together, as the Beacon article states.

  30. A donor can also give $5,000 a year to a leadership PAC, as the Beacon article states.

  31. In the Beacon analysis Sullivan had the fewest AI employee donors but received the most per donor.

  32. Counting Big Tech employees as well, Peltola's campaign ranks fifth among Senate candidates nationwide, according to the Beacon analysis.

  33. Counting Big Tech employees as well, Sullivan ranks 16th among Senate candidates nationwide, according to the Beacon analysis.

  34. Close to 150 Big Tech employees have given to Peltola compared with four for Sullivan, according to the Beacon analysis.

  35. The Beacon analysis counted only Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI as AI companies.

  36. Sullivan's AI employee contributions mainly came through One Team Senate Majority, a joint fundraising committee that splits money with the NRSC and other Republican campaigns.

  37. Sullivan's AI employee contributions also came through his joint fundraising committee, Sullivan Victory.

  38. More than half of Peltola's AI employee contributions came through the Fish Family Freedom Fund, which she formed in January with the Alaska Democratic Party and the DSCC.

  39. Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center told the Beacon that large contributions from a few employees in one industry can suggest donors see a candidate as favorable to their interests.

  40. Fischer cautioned against using employer data as proof of coordinated giving, according to the Beacon.

  41. The Beacon story was reported by Stanford student journalists using DataTalk, a campaign finance AI agent built by Big Local News and the Stanford Open Virtual Assistant Lab.

  42. The Alaska Current reported that donors tied to Peter Corsell's network gave Sullivan's campaign and joint committee a combined $58,000.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  43. The Alaska Current's table lists seven donors tied to Twenty First Century Utilities, I Squared Capital and Saige Consulting.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  44. The Alaska Current reported that most of the network's donations came between April 23rd and May 1st, with another on May 15th.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  45. The Alaska Current reported that Corsell contributed $14,000 in support of Sullivan's reelection.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  46. According to The Alaska Current, TFC estimates North Slope Power at $13 billion for a basic build of up to 3 gigawatts.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  47. According to The Alaska Current, the North Slope Power cost rises above $27 billion with a southbound transmission line.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  48. According to The Alaska Current, the North Slope Borough committed to an exclusive partnership with TFC through 2027 and $5 million for North Slope Power.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  49. Sullivan's campaign and office didn't respond to The Alaska Current's requests for comment.

    REPORTThe Alaska Current2026-10-30
  50. The Air Force offered about 4,700 acres across Air Force and Space Force installations in Alaska for potential AI data centers.

  51. Twelve parcels were identified for potential data center development under the Air Force offer.

  52. The Air Force released its request for lease proposals for the Alaska AI data center sites on April 10th.

  53. The Air Force scheduled an industry day for the Alaska data center offer on April 23rd.

  54. Site visits were set for Elmendorf-Richardson on April 28th, Clear on April 29th and Eielson on April 30th.

  55. Air and Space Forces Magazine reported in April that companies had until May 29th to submit proposals.

  56. In unofficial results as of Wednesday afternoon, November 4th, Peltola had 48 percent of the U.S. Senate vote and Sullivan had 47.7 percent.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  57. Peltola and Sullivan were separated by 637 votes in the unofficial count as of Wednesday afternoon, November 4th.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  58. The Alaska Division of Elections had counted 215,912 ballots as of Wednesday afternoon, November 4th.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  59. Roughly one quarter of all votes in Alaska had not been tallied as of the ADN's November 6th report.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  60. Ranked choice tabulation for Alaska's general election is scheduled for November 18th.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  61. November 25th is the state's target date to certify Alaska's election results.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-11-06
  62. Two UAA associate professors wrote in an ADN op-ed that Anthropic's Claude generated the initial draft of the University of Alaska's AI plan.

  63. The op-ed authors say Claude's role in drafting was not disclosed until October 9th.

  64. The University of Alaska Board of Regents commissioned a strategic document called AI Engaged in June 2026, according to the op-ed.

  65. The University of Alaska Board of Regents was scheduled to vote on the AI statement of intent on November 5th.

  66. Of 150 UAA students cited for academic misconduct last semester, 119 used AI, the ADN reported.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-10-04
  67. The ADN reported that Shier drafted the University of Alaska's AI intent language over the summer at the request of regents.

    REPORTAnchorage Daily News2026-10-04
  68. An exchange agreement lets Enstar buy about 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas, with MEA and Hilcorp as the other parties.

    REPORTAlaska Public Media2026-11-06
  69. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved the Enstar exchange agreement in late October, according to Alaska Public Media.

    REPORTAlaska Public Media2026-11-06
  70. Enstar must deliver the equivalent amount of gas back to MEA by March 2028, according to Alaska Public Media.

    REPORTAlaska Public Media2026-11-06
  71. Enstar aims to have between 6 and 7 billion cubic feet of gas in storage by the end of December, according to Alaska Public Media.

    REPORTAlaska Public Media2026-11-06
  72. The exchange boosts Enstar's end of December storage projection to about 5 billion cubic feet, according to Alaska Public Media.

    REPORTAlaska Public Media2026-11-06

Beats

This article is on Alaska data centers · Defense and federal AI in Alaska · Alaska AI policy and legislation. Each beat page keeps every decision and every article on that subject in one place.