OpenAI-backed PAC spends $2.4M attacking Alex Bores, now he's front-runner
A $2.4 million negative ad campaign funded by an AI-backed PAC was meant to bury a candidate — instead, it propelled him to front-runner status, revealing a dangerous blind spot in tech's political playbook.
In a classic Streisand effect, OpenAI-backed super PAC Leading the Future has spent $2.4 million on attack ads against New York congressional candidate Alex Bores since December 2025. Bores, a former Palantir employee turned state assemblyman, wrote one of the first pieces of AI regulatory legislation in the country. The super PAC—funded by OpenAI, Palantir, a16z executives, and Marc Andreessen—hoped to kill his bid for Jerry Nadler's seat. Instead, Bores is now a front-runner in the eight-person race, with a New York Magazine cover calling him the potential "face of Manhattan." His campaign placed its first ad buy only weeks before the June 23rd primary, while rivals like Micah Lasher (backed by Bloomberg) and Jack Schlossberg (Kennedy grandson) started earlier with deep-pocketed support.
This political proxy war between Anthropic and OpenAI over AI regulation has turned Bores into an unexpected poster child. The attack ads inadvertently boosted his name recognition and framed him as a target of Big Tech, rallying pro-regulation voters. The PAC's strategy—previously successful in ousting Sherrod Brown and Katie Porter via the crypto-focused Fairshake—backfired in Manhattan's expensive media market. Lis Smith, a New York political operative, noted that advertising costs are so high that any airtime is precious. Bores now benefits from three super PACs funded by Anthropic, its investors, and effective altruists defending him. The race highlights how billion-dollar AI lobbying battles can amplify the very voices they aim to silence.
- Aggressive negative spending by AI PACs can backfire; the $2.4M attack on Alex Bores vaulted him from unknown to front-runner.
- Voter distrust of tech money means attack ads are now more likely to generate sympathy for the target than damage them.
- This case will likely incentivize future candidates to court PAC attacks as a shortcut to name recognition and small-donor fundraising.
Why It Matters
The backlash against corporate AI lobbying could reshape how regulation battles are fought — and won.