News
AI Regulation · Congressional Race · Political Spending · Tech Industry
A significant "civil war" within the artificial intelligence industry is unfolding in a New York City congressional primary, where Democratic House candidate Alex Bores, a proponent of AI regulation, faces over $1 million in opposition spending from top AI executives while simultaneously receiving substantial financial backing from AI experts and tech employees who support government oversight.
Politico reports that AI investors have poured over $1 million into a crowded New York City congressional primary to defeat Alex Bores, a Democratic state lawmaker who spearheaded new state rules on the industry. Bores' campaign, however, raised more than $364,000 from people at top AI labs and roughly $420,000 from employees at AI safety groups in the last three months of 2025, amounting to roughly a third of his $2.2 million campaign haul.
Leading the Future, an AI industry PAC, launched a $1 million ad campaign against Bores, with donors including Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. Conversely, Bores' supporters include employees from Anthropic ($168,500), Alphabet/Google/DeepMind ($58,000), OpenAI ($57,000), Palantir ($33,000), Microsoft ($23,000), and Meta ($16,000), as well as AI safety organizations like Coefficient Giving ($95,000) and Redwood Research ($45,000).
Public First, a super PAC favoring AI regulations, has raised "tens of millions" of dollars and aims for $50 million, indicating a sustained battle over AI policy. This dynamic previews broader political divisions within the AI industry and both major political parties.
