$26.3 million in ad spending, according to AdImpact Politics. That is what the Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District drew, making it the second most expensive House primary on record. Only Kentucky’s 4th District race between Thomas Massie and Ed Gallrein cost more, at a reported $33.2 million.
Micah Lasher won. He is a strong advocate of stricter AI regulation, and he took 39 percent of the vote to 35 percent for state Rep. Alex Bores. The two were competing to replace longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler. The district covers Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Upper West Side and Midtown.
Bores, a former Palantir data scientist with a master’s degree in computer science, ran heavily on safety concerns. He also became the main target in a fight between rival camps of the AI industry.
Who paid for what
A Silicon Valley-backed super PAC, Leading the Future, spent more than $8 million against Bores, according to The Hill. Its aim was to keep tech-skeptical lawmakers out of Washington. OpenAI President Greg Brockman and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz fund the group.
On the other side, several AI safety groups put more than $20 million behind Bores, The Hill reported.
AdImpact’s candidate-level figures show the imbalance in negative advertising. Bores had $9.3 million spent in his support and absorbed the most attack spending of anyone in the race, $3.6 million. Lasher had $8.6 million in support and $1.6 million in attacks aimed at him. Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also put millions of his own money behind Lasher, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
PIX11 described the race as largely a proxy war between AI giants and safety groups. Voters, in its words, delivered their verdict: they wanted Lasher.
Sources
- New York congressional primary becomes second most expensive House race ever amid AI fight
- NY-12 was one of the most expensive House primary elections on record
