AI Industry's $2.4M Campaign Against NY Assemblyman Backfires, Elevating His Profile
OpenAI and allies spent millions attacking Alex Bores over AI regulation, inadvertently making him a frontrunner in New York's 12th congressional race.
Last verified:
The Unintended Elevation of an AI Regulation Advocate
According to The Verge AI, a super PAC called Leading the Future, backed by OpenAI, Palantir Technologies, and venture capital executives including Joe Lonsdale and Marc Andreessen, has invested an estimated $2.4 million in attack advertising against New York state assemblyman Alex Bores since December 2025. Bores, who authored some of the nation’s first AI regulatory legislation, is running for the House seat being vacated by longtime Representative Jerry Nadler in New York’s 12th congressional district. The primary concludes on June 23. Yet despite the massive financial pressure from the tech industry, Bores has emerged as a frontrunner in an eight-person field—a result that suggests the opposition campaign may have inadvertently amplified his visibility rather than diminishing it.
How a Well-Funded Opposition Backfired
The mechanics of the opposition campaign reveal a classic miscalculation in modern political advertising. Leading the Future, whose backers include OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, has deployed substantial resources across expensive New York media markets, with Think Big PAC (affiliated with Leading the Future) spending $120,000 on a single anti-Bores television and digital advertisement in December 2025 alone. Yet Bores himself did not place his first campaign advertisement until May 11—nearly seven months after entering the race in October 2025—and has significantly outspent opposition money on name recognition relative to his own ad budget.
The New York media market’s extreme cost, as political consultant Lis Smith noted to The Verge, typically favors the best-funded campaigns. Previous super PAC-backed efforts, particularly the crypto-industry-funded Fairshake super PAC in 2024, successfully ousted Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Katie Porter (D-CA) using similar tactics. Yet in Bores’ case, the constant barrage of negative advertising appears to have generated what critics call the Streisand Effect—the phenomenon where attempts to suppress information paradoxically increase public awareness of it.
A Field of Competitors With Deeper Traditional Networks
Bores faces competition from candidates with more conventional political backing. Micah Lasher, a fellow state assemblyman, benefits from the endorsement apparatus of Nadler’s New York political machine and financial support from Mike Bloomberg’s super PAC. Jack Schlossberg, the influencer and grandson of President John F. Kennedy, has drawn support from the national Democratic establishment. Yet according to The Verge’s reporting, Bores has nonetheless positioned himself as the lead candidate despite spending far less on traditional paid media than his rivals.
Why This Matters
The Bores race exemplifies a tension in modern campaign finance: unlimited super PAC spending can amplify a candidate’s message even when intended as attack advertising, particularly when the underlying issue—AI regulation—resonates with voters concerned about corporate oversight. For the AI industry, the outcome suggests that direct spending against candidates advocating stricter regulation may trigger voter backlash rather than suppress candidacies. For Bores and future AI regulation advocates, the primary results in Manhattan will signal whether voter interest in AI governance issues can override traditional advantages in name recognition and establishment support. The June 23 primary result will indicate whether Bores’ ascent reflects durable voter demand for AI accountability, or whether it was primarily an artifact of the opposition campaign’s visibility machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alex Bores and why are AI companies opposing him?
Bores is a New York state assemblyman who authored early AI regulatory legislation. OpenAI-backed groups are funding opposition because they view his regulation efforts as unfavorable to their interests.
How much money has been spent against Bores?
Leading the Future, the super PAC funded by OpenAI, Palantir, and venture capitalists, has spent an estimated $2.4 million on attack ads against Bores since December 2025.
Has the spending actually hurt Bores' campaign?
No—despite the massive opposition spending, Bores is now a frontrunner in the eight-person race for Nadler's seat, having run minimal ads of his own until May 11, nearly seven months into the race.
Who else is running in this race?
The field includes Micah Lasher (backed by Nadler's machine and Mike Bloomberg's super PAC), Jack Schlossberg (JFK's grandson with national Democratic establishment support), and five other candidates.