WASHINGTON — In an ad that aired ahead of the March primary, Republican congressional candidate Chris Gober was promoted to voters as a “Trump conservative” and “MAGA warrior” who “knows how to win a fight.”
The ad didn’t include explicit references to artificial intelligence, only referencing Gober’s support for technology investment in Texas to “defeat China.” But it was run by American Mission, an appendage of a deep-pocketed AI super PAC network called Leading the Future, which sprung up in 2025 with backers including Greg Brockman, co-founder of the ChatGPT creator OpenAI, and Joe Lonsdale, the Austin billionaire and co-founder of Palantir, an AI-centric software and data analysis company.
American Mission spent about $372,000 airing the pro-Gober ad across the district, according to media tracking firm AdImpact, helping him win the nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Michael McCaul.
