New York congressional primary becomes second most expensive House race ever amid AI fight

The primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District has emerged as the second-most expensive House primary race on record after becoming a high-stakes proxy battle over artificial intelligence (AI) regulation.

The race — which covers Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Midtown — saw a staggering $26.3 million in ad spending, according to AdImpact Politics. 

Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District between Thomas Massie and Ed Gallrein, held this year, reportedly ranked first with $33.2 million in ad spending. 

Election results showed Micah Lasher, a strong advocate for stricter AI regulations, defeating state Rep. Alex Bores, a tech expert who campaigned heavily on safety concerns.

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The contest was decided by a narrow margin, with Lasher securing 39% of the vote and Bores receiving 35% as they competed to replace longtime Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler. 

Bores, a former data scientist at Palantir who holds a master’s degree in computer science, became a key target in the broader fight between competing factions of the AI industry.

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According to AdImpact Politics, $9.3 million was spent supporting Bores, who also faced the largest share of attack ad spending, with $3.6 million in negative ads targeting him.

Beyond ad spending, the Silicon Valley-backed super PAC Leading the Future spent more than $8 million opposing Bores’ nomination in an effort to keep tech-skeptical lawmakers out of Washington, according to the Hill.

The group is funded by major tech figures including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

Meanwhile, multiple AI safety groups spent more than $20 million backing Bores, the Hill reported, highlighting the deep divide within the tech community over how aggressively the government should regulate artificial intelligence.

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Lasher received $8.6 million in support spending, while $1.6 million was spent on attack ads targeting him, according to AdImpact Politics.

Beyond the AI policy battle, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg poured millions of his own money to support Lasher’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) documents.