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Corporate AI super PACs spend $27 million

|June 23, 2026

6.9

Relevance Score

Corporate AI super PACs spend $27 million — Photo: platform.theverge.com · rights & takedowns

New York's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary -- to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler -- became the second most expensive U.S. House primary on record, per AdImpact, with more than $27 million in total outside AI-industry spending, per The Verge (CNBC reported $20 million for the two main PACs). The fight centered on state Assemblyman Alex Bores, author of New York's RAISE Act: the Silicon Valley-backed Leading the Future PAC (funded by OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Andreessen Horowitz, Perplexity) spent $8 million+ against Bores, while the Anthropic-backed Jobs and Democracy PAC spent $15 million+ in his support. Per The Hill, polling showed Bores and fellow Assemblyman Micah Lasher running neck-and-neck, with Jack Schlossberg and George Conway trailing. Results are expected today, June 23, 2026. Strategists cite the race as a live test case for how AI-regulation battles will play out in the 2026 midterms.

What happened

New York's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary -- held today, June 23, 2026 -- drew more than $27 million in outside AI-industry spending, making it the second most expensive U.S. House primary on record, according to AdImpact as reported by The Hill. The race to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler became a proxy war between two rival blocs of AI companies, with state Assemblyman Alex Bores -- a former Palantir engineer and author of New York's RAISE (Responsible AI Safety and Education) Act -- as the central target.

The two sides

Leading the Future, launched in summer 2025 with commitments exceeding $100 million from OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife Anna, venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, Perplexity, investor Ron Conway, and Joe Lonsdale, spent more than $8 million against Bores, per The Hill. LTF's Democratic arm, Think Big PAC, ran ads arguing the RAISE Act creates a "chaotic patchwork" of state rules that would "crush innovation" and cost New York jobs.

On the other side, Public First -- co-founded by former Reps. Brad Carson (D-OK) and Chris Stewart (R-UT) and backed by $20 million from Anthropic -- deployed more than $15 million for Bores through its Jobs and Democracy PAC. Additional pro-Bores spending included $3.3 million from You Can Push Back (backed by Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen) and $2.3 million from Dream NYC. By ad spend alone, AdImpact tracked $9.3 million supporting Bores and $3.6 million attacking him, per The Hill.

The RAISE Act

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the RAISE Act in 2025. It requires major AI companies to publish safety protocols and report incidents that could cause catastrophic harm. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have endorsed the law and similar statutes in Illinois and California -- yet OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman funds the PAC opposing its author's congressional bid. LTF co-strategist Josh Vlasto told The Hill the group supports a national regulatory framework but opposes a state-by-state patchwork.

Candidates and context

Bores was polling neck-and-neck with fellow Assemblyman Micah Lasher, with JFK grandson Jack Schlossberg and former-Republican-turned-Democrat George Conway trailing, per Decision Desk HQ data cited by The Hill. Strategists noted the LTF attack ads paradoxically raised Bores's profile and fundraising. Bores framed the race in The Nation: "If they succeed -- if tens of millions of dollars in attack ads can take out a candidate before he ever sets foot in Congress -- a chilling effect will sweep into every statehouse."

What to watch

Per The Hill, Leading the Future has backed candidates in 21 primaries; only one has lost. Tuesday also features four other LTF-backed candidates including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Yvette Clarke, Joe Morelle, and former Rep. Ben McAdams. The NY-12 result will be read as a signal for whether industry or safety-aligned AI spending strategies dominate the rest of the 2026 midterm cycle.

Scoring Rationale

The second most expensive U.S. House primary on record drew $27 million+ in rival AI-industry super PAC spending over the candidacy of RAISE Act author Alex Bores. The outcome directly signals which AI-regulation political spending strategy -- industry-aligned or safety-aligned -- will shape the 2026 midterm cycle. Relevant to AI practitioners for implications on U.S. regulatory risk and industry political strategy, but remains a single electoral race rather than a legislative or technical milestone.