Policy & Regulation
AI super PACs clash over New York congressional candidate
Public First Action, backed by Anthropic, is spending $450,000 to support a New York congressional candidate targeted by a rival, industry-funded super PAC.
A high-stakes political clash has emerged in a New York congressional bid—which is a campaign for a seat in the US Congress—as two political action committees backed by different factions of the artificial intelligence industry deploy significant capital. Public First Action, a political action committee (or super PAC, which is a political action committee that can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals) backed by a $20 million donation from Anthropic, is spending $450,000 to support New York Assembly member Alex Bores, Bloomberg reported. This financial injection is aimed at boosting Bores in the race for New York’s 12th congressional district.
The spending by Public First Action directly counters an aggressive campaign from a rival group, Leading the Future. This industry-backed super PAC has already poured $1.1 million into advertisements attacking Bores. Late last year, Bores became the target of the campaign by Leading the Future to thwart his congressional bid. The conflict centers on Bores’ sponsorship of New York’s RAISE Act, which is New York legislation requiring major AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious misuse of their systems.
While both committees are pro-AI, they represent contrasting visions for the sector’s governance. Public First Action is pitching an approach centered on transparency, safety standards, and public oversight. In contrast, Leading the Future represents a different industry perspective and is armed with more than $100 million from various backers. The group’s prominent industry supporters include venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, AI search startup Perplexity, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, who is associated with the company Palantir.
Why it matters
This clash illustrates how AI-focused super PACs are deploying capital to influence legislative outcomes, specifically regarding safety and transparency regulations.