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

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. 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. …