## [PENDING_REWRITE] AI companies spending $125M against candidate Bores Intelligence Assessment: Silicon Valley AI Industry Mobilizes Against State-Level Regulatory Candidates Current Situation New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee, has emerged as the primary target of a coordinated AI industry campaign in his bid for New York's 12th congressional district. The Leading the Future super PAC has committed at least $10 million against Bores, marking the largest single investment by the group against any candidate in the current election cycle. Bores resigned from Palantir in 2019 specifically over the company's contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to statements made to TechCrunch. Despite this professional history, opposition advertising has characterized Bores as having built technology infrastructure that powered ICE deportation operations, citing his prior compensation from the company. Key Actors and Financial Flows Leading the Future, the primary super PAC opposing Bores, has raised $125 million for the current electoral cycle. The group's financial backing includes Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and AI search company Perplexity. This coalition represents a significant portion of Silicon Valley's most influential technology executives and investors. Meta has contributed an additional $65 million across two separate super PACs supporting state-level candidates favorable to the AI and technology industry. Combined with direct contributions from AI companies, industry groups, and executive donors, at least $83 million flowed to federal campaigns and committees in 2025. On the opposing side, Bores has received support from Public First Action, an Anthropic-backed political action committee allocating $450,000 for his congressional campaign. Regulatory Context Bores incurred significant opposition from Silicon Valley following his sponsorship of the RAISE Act, legislation requiring large AI laboratories with annual revenue exceeding $500 million to maintain publicly available safety plans and report catastrophic safety incidents. The bill was signed into law in December, establishing what industry observers describe as one of the most comprehensive state-level AI regulatory frameworks in the United States. The candidate has proposed a national AI governance blueprint encompassing eight policy areas with 43 specific recommendations. Additionally, Bores has introduced legislation requiring companies to disclose training data sources and implement metadata standards facilitating synthetic content identification. Industry Position The AI sector's opposition to Bores appears to stem from his demonstrated willingness to pursue state-level regulatory measures in the absence of federal standards. The Leading the Future PAC has indicated preference for federal-level regulation only, effectively opposing the patchwork of state regulations that has emerged over the past year as states moved to establish their own AI governance frameworks. Assessment and Implications The financial resources deployed against Bores signal the AI industry's strategic priority to prevent the election of candidates with demonstrated willingness to sponsor and implement AI regulation. The $10 million commitment represents an escalation in technology sector electoral intervention at the state level, indicating that Silicon Valley views control of congressional seats as essential to shaping the regulatory environment for artificial intelligence. Bores's campaign has positioned him as a candidate capable of bridging state and federal regulatory approaches, though industry opposition suggests this positioning may complicate rather than facilitate his electoral prospects. --- - **Source**: TechCrunch - **Sector**: The Office - **Tags**: ai, politics, lobbying - **Credibility**: unverified - **Published**: 2026-03-03 22:56:56 - **ID**: 1746 - **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/1746