Alex Bores Rises in NY-12 Race as AI PACs Spend $2.4 Million Attacking Him
Updated
Updated · The Verge · May 27
Alex Bores Rises in NY-12 Race as AI PACs Spend $2.4 Million Attacking Him
1 articles · Updated · The Verge · May 27
Alex Bores has emerged as a front-runner in New York’s 12th District Democratic primary after months of attacks from Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by OpenAI, Palantir and a16z-linked figures.
The PAC has spent an estimated $2.4 million against Bores since December 2025, while his campaign says it did not make its first New York ad buy until May 11, weeks before the June 23 primary.
Emerson polling released last week showed Bores two points behind fellow assemblyman Micah Lasher, and recent surveys have often put him ahead of other rivals in the eight-person race to replace Jerry Nadler.
The attacks amplified Bores’ profile by spotlighting his authorship of New York’s RAISE Act, signed in December, and by turning AI regulation into a defining issue in a Manhattan primary.
That dynamic intensified after Anthropic-aligned groups entered the race, framing the contest as a proxy fight over who will shape AI regulation and drawing unusual national media attention to a House primary.
Is a local New York election now the main battleground for global AI safety?
How did a multimillion-dollar ad campaign inadvertently make its target a front-runner?
Inside the $140 Million AI Proxy War: How the NY-12 Democratic Primary Became America’s Bellwether on Tech Money and Regulation
Overview
The Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District is a fiercely contested and nationally significant race, marked by tight polling margins and a heated debate over campaign finance. As of May 27, 2026, recent Emerson College and PIX 11 surveys are actively tracking the race’s dynamics, while earlier polling showed Assembly Member Alex Bores narrowly leading in a highly competitive field. The contest is further shaped by unprecedented spending and a large bloc of undecided voters, making the outcome unpredictable. This primary highlights both the intensity of the competition and the growing national focus on money in politics.