NEW YORK — Democrats competing for a coveted open congressional seat in Manhattan exchanged sharp attacks during a debate Thursday night, as a surge in outside spending from the technology industry became a central fault line in the primary.
State Assembly Member Alex Bores, who has made regulating artificial intelligence a centerpiece of his legislative work, was the prime target of the evening. Within moments of the opening statements, state Assembly Member Micah Lasher accused Bores of hiding the full scope of his campaign’s technology-industry backing.
“Alex only wants to tell you half the story, about one AI company that’s spending millions to defeat him, and that’s bad,” Lasher said, according to the Associated Press. “But he’s not telling you the story about Anthropic, which is spending a million dollars to elect him, or a crypto billionaire who is spending $3.5 million to send him to Congress.”
The exchange underscored the intensifying role of technology-company money in Democratic primaries, a dynamic that has scrambled races across the country this election cycle. As MSI previously reported, outside spending has reshaped primary contests nationwide, prompting backlash from some candidates and voters.
Bores’s campaign has drawn a flurry of industry spending, both attacking and supporting him, reflecting the high stakes of a primary that could determine whether an AI-regulation advocate enters Congress. Bores has authored legislation in the New York State Assembly aimed at placing guardrails on the development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems.
The debate field also included Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, who entered the crowded race in early April, and George Conway, the conservative attorney who has been a prominent Trump critic. Conway is married to Kellyanne Conway, who served as a senior counselor to President Trump.
Candidates repeatedly sought to frame themselves as the Democrat best positioned to oppose Trump in the general election for the heavily Democratic district. The seat opened after the retirement of longtime Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who had represented the district for decades.
The primary is expected to be one of the most closely watched congressional contests in the country this year, drawing national attention and a heavy flow of campaign contributions from outside the district.