ICYMI: AI Industry & Delaware Establishment Rushing Funds to Protect AG Jennings

WILMINGTON, Del. — There’s growing scrutiny of the AI industry cash fueling Attorney General Kathy Jennings’ campaign, with new reporting in Spotlight Delaware offering more details about the Statehouse Fund’s more than half-a-million dollar investment in Jennings and the dark money outfit’s ties to Anthropic-backed Public First Action. The News Journal also highlighted the significant out-of-state dark money support for Jennings’ campaign this week.

Spotlight’s coverage found that the Delaware political establishment is preparing to dump money into Jennings’ campaign — Michael Houghton’s so-called ‘Justice for All PAC’ is spending $150,000 to protect the incumbent. Houghton — who has worked as an attorney for OpenAI - said he was pouring PAC money into the race because he’s been friends with Jennings for more than a quarter-century. Last year, Jennings issued a Statement of No Objection to OpenAI’s conversion from a not-for-profit to a for-profit entity in Delaware.

As early-voting has begun, constituents have few opportunities to ask Jennings about the nearly $700,000 in outside money — she is not participating in next week’s Delaware Attorney General Forum at the University of Delaware. Jennings also refused to respond to the ACLU of Delaware’s candidate questionnaire, depriving Delawareans of an opportunity to hear about her positions on key issues like policing, cooperation with ICE, and increasing accountability for elected officials. And, after confirming participation in a Rotary Club of Wilmington forum moderated by Tom Byrne, Jennings withdrew to attend an out-of-state conference.

“Kathy Jennings is bought and paid for by corporate special interests. It’s telling that the latest six-figure infusion of cash into her campaign is coming from a longtime and well-connected Delaware establishment figure who also just happens to have worked on behalf of OpenAI,” said civil rights attorney and AG candidate Dwayne Bensing. “This week reveals what many of us have known all along: Kathy Jennings’ campaign is funded by corporate billionaires and the Delaware establishment who care more about protecting their own special interests than they do the civil rights of working people across Delaware.

“Delawareans deserve an Attorney General who isn’t beholden to corporate special interests. Our communities cannot afford four more years of a Department of Justice which views billionaires and the political elite as their chief constituents - rather than people across our state. As Attorney General, I will always put the people first.”

The Statehouse Fund and Justice for All PAC investments are the latest in Jennings’ long track record of prioritizing corporate interests and the political establishment over everyday Delawareans:

• Luxury Junkets & Foreign Trips: Reporting by WHYY and CNN exposed that AG Jennings accepted corporate-funded trips to luxury resorts, complete with first-class tickets, wine tasting, and a safari in South Africa — paid for by corporate lobbyists and tech giants.
• Corporate Favoritism & Billionaire Catering:
  • Green-lighting OpenAI’s conversion from a non-profit corporation to for-profit, benefiting tech billionaires while white-collar employment faces unprecedented pressure from AI (Axios Analysis).
  • Weakening corporate oversight by supporting corporate franchise legislation like SB 21.
  • Funneling millions of taxpayer dollars to elite corporate law firms while seeking an unnecessary $3 million office upgrade as Deputy AGs push for workplace fairness through unionization.
• Protecting the Political Establishment at the Expense of Delaware’s Schools & Homeowners:
  • Residents in New Castle County took a backseat to the political establishment when Jennings was the Chief Administrative Officer. County leaders across the state failed to properly assess property values over four decades - neglect which continued during Jennings’ tenure with the county.
  • As AG, Jennings eschewed any oversight and instead looked out for the political elite who were wary of addressing the growing crisis. The result? A funding crisis hit Delaware’s public schools, and taxpayers paid the price for decades of failed leadership.

###

Dwayne Bensing is running for Delaware Attorney General to tackle corporate greed, ensure independent government oversight, and protect our civil rights. Justice is a relay race. It’s time to pass the torch.