2026 United States Senate election in Maine

In this episode, we look at the Senate race in Maine and the AI industry fight over who regulates AI as two specific examples of the truly awful role of dark money in politics.

As of this writing, the Maine Senate race has seen about $200 million spent on ads.

That doesn't include mailings, paid staff, and other expenses.

Ads alone already account for about $175 spent for every voting age adult in Maine.

But the FEC hasn't had a quorum since spring 2025, so the agency can't transact business.

No investigations, no penalties, no making rules.

The current Maine Senate race, our example in this episode, has been very high profile because the original and popular Democratic candidate dropped out after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault and the Republican incumbent is vulnerable.

The election contains all of the elements that demonstrate the lack of financial accountability in our system.