New York primaries test Mamdani clout and split AI donors
Why it matters: More than $17 million in AI-linked spending has turned one Manhattan House race into a national test of tech regulation.
Voters in New York headed to primary elections Tuesday that are testing both Zohran Mamdani’s influence and the political muscle of rival factions in the artificial intelligence industry. In the Manhattan House race for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Nadler, Assemblyman Alex Bores has become a focal point after backing a sweeping New York AI regulation bill. A political group backed by OpenAI investors spent more than $7 million opposing him, while groups partly funded by Anthropic spent more than $10 million supporting him. Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, also backed progressive challengers against more established Democrats, including Brad Lander against Rep. Dan Goldman and Darializa Avila Chevalier against Rep. Adriano Espaillat.