WASHINGTON, October 14 (ANI) — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday criticized what he called the country’s “corrupt campaign finance system,” citing substantial election spending by billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and other influential groups ahead of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. He called for sweeping campaign finance reform.
In a post on X, Sanders highlighted spending by wealthy individuals, cryptocurrency interests and political advocacy groups during the 2024-2026 election cycle, arguing that the scale of the expenditures underscored the need to reform the campaign finance system.
“What a corrupt campaign finance system looks like: Between 2024 and 2026, Musk spent over $650 million to buy elections. Crypto spent over $500 million. AIPAC spent $230 million. AI spent over $200 million. Dems must implement REAL campaign finance reform. ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE,” Sanders wrote.
Sanders also criticized the influence of major technology companies, describing their leaders as “Big Tech Oligarchs” and warning against their growing role in shaping public policy.
In a separate post, Sanders backed a proposal by Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, to temporarily halt the development of advanced artificial intelligence models and data centers until policymakers establish new safeguards for the technology. Sanders warned against allowing wealthy technology executives to determine its future direction.
“Thank you Abdul El-Sayed for putting out a bold plan to protect the American people against the very serious dangers posed by advanced AI & superintelligence. I look forward to working with you to pass it. We won’t allow Big Tech Oligarchs to determine the future of humanity,” Sanders wrote.
The remarks marked another instance of Sanders criticizing Musk’s political influence and the concentration of wealth and power among billionaires.
Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, has repeatedly faced criticism from Sanders over his political spending. The senator previously accused the billionaire of using his wealth to influence American politics and support efforts to keep Republicans in control of Congress.
In an earlier post on X on Monday, Sanders said Musk had spent $290 million to help elect President Donald Trump and was subsequently spending hundreds of millions of dollars to support Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
“Elon Musk spent $290 million to elect Trump. It paid off. Since his election, Musk got $696 billion richer & became the world’s 1st trillionaire. But that’s not enough. Now, Musk is spending $366 million to keep Republicans in control of Congress. STOP MUSK. STOP OLIGARCHY,” Sanders wrote.
The New York Times reported that Musk had spent $276 million since July alone, including $158 million for a super PAC focused on Republican Senate candidates, making him the largest single donor that year.
Sanders’ latest criticism of Musk and his warning against the influence of technology billionaires come amid attention surrounding Musk’s plans to rename SpaceXAI as SpaceXSI. The proposal followed an executive order by Trump directing executive branch departments and agencies to use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in official communications and policy documents.
On October 5, Musk confirmed the proposed name change in a post on X while responding to a user who suggested renaming the company.
“Yes, we will make that change,” Musk replied.
In another post, he added, “No more AI. SI, it’s better.”
The rebranding followed Trump’s executive order, titled “Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence,” signed on September 29. The order directs federal departments and agencies to use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in official correspondence, public communications, policy documents and nonstatutory documents.
Sanders’ criticism of Musk’s political spending and his warning about the influence of technology billionaires have brought campaign finance reform and AI regulation into the same debate as the United States approaches its midterm elections.
His comments call for greater limits on the political influence of wealthy individuals and corporate interests, alongside stronger public safeguards for emerging technologies. (ANI)
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