Big tech spent millions on a single US congressional race. It won’t be the last time

Micah Lasher, left, defeated Alex Bores, right, in the Democratic primary for New York's 12th congressional district on 23 June 2026. Composite: Reuters, Getty Images View image in fullscreen Micah Lasher, left, defeated Alex Bores, right, in the Democratic primary for New York's 12th congressional district on 23 June 2026. Composite: Reuters, Getty Images Analysis Big tech spent millions on a single US congressional race. It won’t be the last time Nick Robins-Early in New York Pro- and anti-AI groups spent $24m on a congressional contest in New York, but it’s unclear to what end US politics live – latest updates When the Democratic primary for New York ’s 12th congressional district was called on Tuesday night, the result capped off one of the most expensive races of its kind in the state’s history. More than $24m 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. Much of the spending targeted candidate Alex Bores, a member of the state assembly who sponsored an AI safety bill and subsequently became a lightning rod for the tech industry. Pro-AI political action committees (Pacs) put more than $8m into the race to oppose Bores, according to Tech Influence Watch, while industry groups supporting regulation spent more than $16m to counter the attacks. Bores ultimately wound up in second place, losing to Michael Lasher, who had the backing of NY-12’s outgoing representative, Jerry Nadler, and deeper ties to the Democratic party establishment. Despite the tech industry’s focus on Bores, Lasher also co-sponsored the same Raise Act AI safety bill, and similarly called for big tech to be reined in. New York primaries show Zohran Mamdani has lost none of his political magic Read more 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, who finished a distant third, and former Republican turned anti-Trump influencer George Conway. What is clearer is that NY-12 shows how the AI industry is likely to descend upon campaigns this year, as November’s midterm elections approach, and tech-backed Super Pacs – committees that can raise and spend unlimited funds in favor or against candidates – amass hundreds of millions of dollars. Many of the groups that spent money on Bores are well equipped to replicate their influence campaigns in other races. 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 $75m. Public First Action, which is more supportive of AI regulation, meanwhile received more than $20m from Anthropic. Individual tech moguls have also positioned themselves to be exceedingly influential, with Elon Musk funneling money into his America Pac, and California crypto billionaire Chris Larsen putting mi