--- title: "OpenAI's Chris Lehane Says 2028 Will Be \"The AI Election\"" description: "A new memo from OpenAI's top policy executive compares AI to the New Deal, and critics already question whether the company's shift is sincere." url: https://tech.skoop.news/openai-and-the-2028-election-chris-lehanes-vision-for-ai-and-6ce66f/ published: 2026-11-05T08:01:56.997850-05:00 modified: 2026-11-05T08:01:56.997858-05:00 section: "Tech & Apps" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Lehane", "American Federation of Teachers", "AI Now Institute", "Building Trades Unions", "AI Election", "Chris Lehane", "Communist Party", "OpenAI", "Democratic", "Americans"] hashtags: ["#AmericanFederationOfTeachers", "#AINowInstitute", "#BuildingTradesUnions", "#tech", "#ai"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Smartphone.png/1280px-Smartphone.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # OpenAI's Chris Lehane Says 2028 Will Be "The AI Election" > A new memo from OpenAI's top policy executive compares AI to the New Deal, and critics already question whether the company's shift is sincere. Published 2026-11-05 · Updated 2026-11-05 · Tech & Apps, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, argues that AI will be the number-one issue of the 2028 presidential election. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) - In a new essay, Lehane compares AI's potential to reshape the economy to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) - The essay follows a Democratic victory in the midterm elections, in which Democrats flipped control of Congress amid widespread voter frustration over the cost of living. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) ## A memo that calls the next presidential race Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, argues that AI will be the number-one issue of the 2028 presidential election. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) He thinks the race could be a defining moment for AI. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) His memo is titled '2028: The AI Election'. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) It compares the 2028 race to the 1932 election, when industrialization had broken down the old social contract and FDR's New Deal reimagined it. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) The memo also says 2028 will feature the first truly wide-open Democratic presidential primary since 1992. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) ## Why Lehane reaches for the New Deal In a new essay, Lehane compares AI's potential to reshape the economy to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) The New Deal was a 1930s set of federal programs and reforms enacted after industrialization and the Great Depression shattered the old economic order. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) The memo describes AI as a general purpose technology on the scale of the wheel, the printing press, and electricity. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) It states that half of Americans already use an AI tool at least a few times a week. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) Lehane urges politicians to find a 'compelling third path' that allows people to share in AI's benefits. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) He wants them to develop policies that address Americans' concerns about AI, rather than paying lip service to anti-AI sentiment and the backlash against data centers. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) ## The political backdrop The essay follows a Democratic victory in the midterm elections, in which Democrats flipped control of Congress amid widespread voter frustration over the cost of living. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) Opposition to data centers emerged as a major bipartisan concern in several races in the 2026 midterms. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) Affordability is shaping up as a key issue for 2028 as Americans grapple with inflation, tariffs, and the rising cost of living. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) ## The polling Lehane cites In polling Lehane has seen, 65% of voters said AI would be important to their 2026 choices. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) By early October 2026, one in five ads aired by Democratic candidates or groups mentioned data centers. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) In polling Lehane conducted, voters preferred a candidate who leads their party in shaping AI policy over one who follows it by a 25-point margin. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) Despite safety concerns, 66% of voters supported continued AI development. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) That group includes 53% who wanted stronger safeguards and oversight, while 24% favored a pause. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) The memo reports that 41% of voters expect people like themselves to benefit financially from AI over the next five years. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) A far larger 84% expect AI to benefit the richest 1%. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) ## Five priorities Lehane lays out five policy priorities spanning worker protections and education to AI safety and data center development. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) He suggests tax code incentives for workers to learn AI skills, easier capital access for entrepreneurs, and new approaches to employee ownership and profit-sharing. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) The memo rules out both simply taxing AI and giving AI companies another tax break. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) It names the American Federation of Teachers and North America's Building Trades Unions as partners. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) It also states that OpenAI's Piketon compute campus alone will need 25,000 skilled tradespeople. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) On data centers, Lehane warns that politicians who support a moratorium could jeopardize America's lead over China. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) He compares that stance to the 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) The memo says OpenAI analysts uncovered likely Communist Party influence operations that generated social media content claiming AI buildouts were increasing household electric bills. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) ## Safety, control and OpenAI's record The memo's first question asks how candidates will keep AI safe and people in control. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) It calls for enforceable safety standards, independent assessments, the ability to restrict or shut down systems, and public oversight. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) Lehane's essay likewise calls for enforceable AI safety standards, independent evaluations, public oversight, and the ability to restrict AI systems or use a kill switch. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) He argues that people should maintain control over consequential decisions made using AI, rather than handing off judgment entirely to machines. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) In a September 9, 2026 post on OpenAI's website, Lehane called for mandatory, capability-based national AI safety regulation and announced OpenAI's support for four California bills. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) In 2024, OpenAI opposed California's AI safety bill SB 1047, which would have mandated catastrophic risk evaluations and shutdown capabilities. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) The company has more recently shifted some positions, backing several state safety laws and saying it would be open to independent evaluators embedded in the company. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) Kate Brennan of the AI Now Institute said Lehane's rhetoric marks a notable shift from OpenAI's prior policy agenda, which focused on accelerating AI development, reducing regulatory barriers, and expanding infrastructure. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) She also called Lehane's stances 'disingenuous,' pointing to OpenAI's history of opposing legislation designed to impose such measures. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) ## AI and the voter Lehane's essay describes a future in which AI plays a defining role in the relationship between citizens and the state. [[3]](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) AI could help voters compare proposals, navigate government services, understand complex legislation and communicate their priorities to elected officials. [[3]](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) An AI assistant does not need to endorse a candidate explicitly to shape an election. [[3]](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) It could influence users through the questions it asks, the sources it highlights, and the language it uses. [[3]](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) ## What this means for you If you use an AI tool, you are in the group the memo describes: half of Americans already use one at least a few times a week. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) Since an assistant could influence users through the questions it asks, the sources it highlights, and the language it uses, those are the places to look. [[3]](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) As a voter, you may see candidates talk about data centers, since one in five Democratic ads by early October 2026 mentioned them. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) The memo's first question for candidates is how they will keep AI safe and people in control. [[1]](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) Brennan's criticism is a reminder to compare OpenAI's current stances with its history of opposing such legislation. [[2]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) ## Sources 1. [OpenAI’s Lehane Calls AI the Number-One Issue of the 2028 Election](https://www.unite.ai/openais-lehane-calls-ai-the-number-one-issue-of-the-2028-election/) — Unite.AI 2. [OpenAI is already trying to shape the 2028 election](https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/04/openai-is-already-trying-to-shape-the-2028-election/) — TechCrunch 3. [OpenAI and the 2028 Election: Chris Lehane’s Vision for AI and a New Social Contract](https://www.androguider.com/2026/11/openai-and-2028-election-chris-lehanes.html) — AndroGuider Image: Photo (illustrative): Ka Kit Pang / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smartphone.png) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/