NEW YORK CITY — Nearly half of the $44 million spent by AI-focused Super PACs in congressional races during the 2026 election cycle has been directed toward the Democratic primary in New York's 12th congressional district. This spending has centered the race around Democratic candidate Alex Bores and his stance on AI regulation.

AI-focused Super PACs have raised approximately $100 million in the 2026 election cycle. Think Big, an affiliate of Leading the Future, has spent $8.2 million on the New York 12th district primary. Leading the Future is a network of Super PACs that backs candidates described as 'pro-AI'.

Think Big's funding sources include venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, according to Federal Election Commission data. Tech-funded PACs have also spent $11 million on the NY-12 race to counteract messaging from Leading the Future. Bores stated in a campaign video that the division in the race is about regulating AI. "This is the first congressional race in the country where the dividing line is: can we regulate AI at all?" Bores said.

Bores sponsored the Raise Act, a New York state law that requires major AI developers to publish public safety plans. Micah Lasher, a New York assemblymember running against Bores in the Democratic primary for NY-12, has campaigned in favor of AI guardrails and curbing the influence of Big Tech.

Public First is another network of Super PACs, founded by former Democratic congressman Brad Carson. Its Democrat-focused subsidiary is Jobs and Democracy. Anthropic publicly announced a $20 million contribution to the group bankrolling Public First. Carson stated that Public First has raised $45 million from various industries, including individuals working at OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and X. He added that the Super PACs have elevated Bores' profile. "They've made Alex Bores into a national star," Carson said.