Generative AI has become a disclosed campaign expense in the 2026 midterms, with 39 congressional candidates reporting payments for OpenAI subscriptions in Federal Election Commission filings. The total likely understates actual use because campaigns can expense $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus plans under broad categories, pay through staffers or vendors, or use free tiers. Two candidates said they used OpenAI subscriptions for advertising, contrary to OpenAI policies prohibiting political ad generation, while a third reported using unspecified AI to draft or personalize messages or create synthetic media. Rep. Mike Lawler reported roughly $3,260 in OpenAI payments since 2025, while the Republican National Committee disclosed approximately $9,700, the largest amount among political action committees. The FEC was still considering disclosure rules for AI-generated campaign content as of mid-2026, and no binding federal requirements had been finalized, although some states had adopted political-ad disclaimers or synthetic-media bans.