Late last year, New York Assembly member Alex Bores became the target of a high-stakes campaign by a pro-AI super PAC aiming to thwart his bid for Congress. The group, Leading the Future, boasts more than $100 million in funding from backers including Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, the AI search startup Perplexity, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.

Bores’ response has been direct: bring it on—and now he has the financial backing to fight back.

Counterforce Emerges

Public First Action, a PAC supported by a $20 million donation from Anthropic, is spending $450,000 to support Bores in his race for New York’s 12th congressional district, according to Bloomberg. While both PACs are pro-AI, Public First Action is promoting a vision focused on transparency, safety standards, and public oversight—a counterpoint to the industry-backed messaging.

Why Bores is a Target

Leading the Future has already spent $1.1 million on ads attacking Bores, largely due to his sponsorship of New York’s RAISE Act. The legislation requires major AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious misuse of their systems—a move that has drawn pushback from some in the industry.

The race highlights the growing influence of AI-focused political funding in U.S. elections, as well as the tension between industry priorities and regulatory oversight.