AI Super PACs Pour $27 Million Into Congressional Primary, But Winner Rejects Their Influence

AI Money in Politics Reaches Unprecedented Levels in Manhattan Race

The Democratic primary for New York's 12th congressional district became a proving ground for AI political spending, with tech-backed PACs injecting over $27 million into a single race to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler 1

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. The staggering sum made it one of the most expensive congressional primaries in state history, transforming a local contest into a national battleground over AI regulation and Silicon Valley's growing political influence 2

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Alex Bores, a New York state assemblymember who sponsored the landmark RAISE Act requiring AI companies to develop and publish formal safety protocols, became the primary target of Leading the Future, an AI-focused super PAC backed by OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Andreessen Horowitz, and Perplexity 1

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. The tech-backed PACs spent $8 million specifically to defeat Bores, flooding the district with attack ads that framed him as a hypocrite for his previous work at surveillance company Palantir 2

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Rival AI Companies Turn Race Into Proxy War

The congressional primary quickly evolved into a proxy war between competing factions of Silicon Valley. While Leading the Future worked to defeat Bores, AI safety advocates rallied to his defense with even more substantial political spending. Anthropic-backed Public First Action contributed at least $11 million to support Bores, while crypto billionaire Chris Larsen's You Can Push Back super PAC added another $3.5 million 4

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. In total, pro-AI safety groups spent roughly $19 million supporting Bores's candidacy 1

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This split reflected deeper divisions within the tech industry over AI governance. Supporters of stricter federal AI policy argued the industry was underestimating dangers of underregulated AI development in pursuit of profit. Critics countered that heavy-handed AI safety legislation would hinder innovation and cause the U.S. to lose a global AI race to China 1

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. The race became a litmus test for whether AI oligarchs could effectively punish candidates who challenged their interests.

Winner Embraces Same AI Regulation Agenda

Micah Lasher won the Democratic primary with 39% of the vote, defeating Bores by roughly 4,000 votes 4

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. But the outcome delivered an unexpected twist: Lasher had co-sponsored the same RAISE Act that made Bores a target and campaigned on an equally aggressive platform for federal AI policy reform 1

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. In his victory speech, Lasher directly addressed the AI companies that spent heavily on the race: "I have some news for the two big AI companies who've taken such an unusual interest in who won this congressional seat. I won't be taking my cues from either of you when it comes to protecting our kids, our jobs, our environment" 2

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The result suggests that massive political spending by tech-backed PACs may not achieve their intended goals. Before Leading the Future targeted him, Bores was polling in single digits with only a 10% chance of victory 5

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. The opposition campaign may have inadvertently elevated his profile and validated his credentials as a challenger to Silicon Valley power, helping him finish a close second 3

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AI Super PACs Prepare for Broader Campaign Influence

The Manhattan race represents just the opening salvo in what promises to be extensive AI industry involvement in elections. Leading the Future has raised over $100 million and thrown its weight behind nearly 30 races as November's midterm elections approach 3

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. AI-related super PACs have already spent more than $50 million on 2026 elections, with $22 million from pro-innovation groups and nearly $28 million from pro-safety PACs 4

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The flood of attack ads in New York's 12th congressional district offered a preview of tactics likely to appear nationwide. Jobs and Democracy PAC bought an ad supporting Bores that ran as the front page of the New York Daily News, mimicking genuine news coverage and drawing criticism from the newsroom's union 2

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. These campaigns aim not just to win individual races but to send signals to other politicians about the consequences of supporting or opposing AI regulation without industry input.

Despite the uncertain results in New York, the race demonstrates that AI money in politics has become a significant force reshaping the campaign landscape. Whether this political spending can counter growing public backlash against AI remains an open question as both sides prepare for broader battles over the future of AI governance in America.