Big Tech’s fight over artificial intelligence has officially hit central Manhattan. The race to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler has turned into a proxy war, with national PACs and advocacy groups flooding the district with TV ads, mailers, and text blasts. For local voters, a national clash over AI safety and industry influence is suddenly showing up on their screens and in their mailboxes.
Anthropic's $20 Million bet on AI safety
Anthropic PBC has pledged $20 million to Public First, a network that says it will support candidates who favor stronger AI safeguards, according to the Los Angeles Times. The company is casting the move as part of a broader effort to defend what it calls "responsible AI" against better funded, pro-industry political operations.
Public First Action pours cash into the Manhattan contest
Public First Action’s Democratic arm has zeroed in on the central Manhattan primary, putting roughly $450,000 behind a candidate aligned with the AI safety agenda, according to Bloomberg. Local strategists say that kind of early money, aimed squarely at shaping first impressions with voters, instantly raises the stakes in what was already a closely watched race.
Bores and the RAISE Act
Assemblymember Alex Bores, a contender for the open seat, helped steer New York’s RAISE Act through Albany, a state bill that would require large AI developers to publish safety plans and report major incidents, as documented by TechCrunch. That legislation, and Bores’ prominent role in it, has made him a prime target for pro-industry groups that see the measure as a warning sign for future regulation.
Industry PACs fire back with attack ads
A pro-AI super PAC backed by venture investors and some OpenAI figures has already put seven figures into ads attacking Bores, focusing on his past work and arguing that state-level AI rules would cost jobs, according to Axios. With dueling ad buys now blanketing the district, the Manhattan primary is effectively a test case for two national visions of how AI should be governed.
What voters in the district will see next
Campaign operatives expect the clash between pro-regulation and pro-industry money to keep the race on television and in voters’ inboxes for weeks, a preview of how AI could become a recurring flashpoint in other competitive districts. The Anthropic pledge, combined with heavy industry spending, marks central Manhattan as an early battleground in a broader midterm fight over who will write the rules for artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg.
