Big Tech's $24 Million Congressional Gamble Signals New Era of AI Political Influence

The Lead

When the Democratic primary for New York's 12th congressional district was called, it capped off one of the most expensive races of its kind in the state's history. More than $24 million poured into the Manhattan contest from tech-backed financial groups as the campaign turned into a battleground for pro- and anti-AI groups to test their influence in the political arena.

The Financial Battleground

The sheer scale of spending in this single congressional race was extraordinary. Pro-AI political action committees (PACs) put more than $8 million into the race to oppose candidate Alex Bores, while industry groups supporting regulation spent more than $16 million to counter the attacks. This financial firepower demonstrates how tech companies and their allies view congressional races as critical venues for shaping policy debates around artificial intelligence.

The money flowed through several major players. Leading the Future, which opposed Bores and is funded by OpenAI's president Greg Brockman, along with venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, has this year raised more than $75 million. Meanwhile, Public First Action, which is more supportive of AI regulation, received more than $20 million from Anthropic.

The AI Policy Divide

The race became a proxy battle for competing visions of AI regulation. Candidate Alex Bores, a member of the state assembly who sponsored an AI safety bill, became a lightning rod for the tech industry. Despite the tech industry's focus on Bores, the winner Michael Lasher also co-sponsored the same Raise Act AI safety bill and similarly called for big tech to be reined in.

The most visible effect of this AI industry funding was a flood of often misleading attack ads that put tech, and the backlash to AI, at the center of the race. The Jobs and Democracy PAC bought an ad in support of Bores that ran as the front page of the New York Daily News, mimicking a genuine news page. Several ads against Bores, backed by pro-tech funding, framed him as a hypocrite due to his past work at the surveillance company Palantir.

The Tech Money Machine

What happened in NY-12 is not an isolated incident but part of a broader strategy by tech interests to influence elections. Individual tech moguls have positioned themselves to be exceedingly influential, with Elon Musk funneling money into his America PAC, and California crypto billionaire Chris Larsen putting millions into the newly created You Can Push Back Super PAC (Larsen put $3.5m into backing Bores).

Many of the groups that spent money on Bores are well equipped to replicate their influence campaigns in other races. As November's midterm elections approach, tech-backed Super PACs – committees that can raise and spend unlimited funds – are amassing hundreds of millions of dollars to shape the political landscape.

The Political Impact

Exactly how the exorbitant amount of tech money shaped the race is hard to determine in a crowded primary that also included Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg and former Republican turned anti-Trump influencer George Conway. However, the race demonstrates how AI industry funding is transforming political campaigns.

Lasher's victory speech highlighted that while candidates may wind up courting tech donations, they also have to be careful of being seen as too close to an increasingly disliked industry. "I have some news for the two big AI companies who've taken such an unusual interest in who won this congressional seat," Lasher said. "I won't be taking my cues from either of you when it comes to protecting our kids, our jobs, our environment."

Despite Bores' defeat, groups supporting him argued that the tactics may have also raised his profile and made the debate around AI regulation more prominent. As the midterm elections approach, the intersection of AI policy and campaign finance is likely to become an increasingly prominent feature of American politics.