AI NewsAnthropic-funded group backs candidate attacked by rival AI super PAC

Anthropic-funded group backs candidate attacked by rival AI super PAC

9:51 AM IST · February 21, 2026

Late last year, New York Assembly member Alex Bores became the target of a campaign by a pro-AI super PAC to thwart his congressional bid. The group,Leading the Future, is armed with more than $100 million from backers including Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, AI search startup Perplexity, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. Bores’ response was simple:bring it on.Now, he’s got the muscle to back that challenge up. Public First Action, a PAC backed by a$20 million donation from Anthropic, is spending $450,000 to boost Bores in the race for New York’s 12th congressional district, reportsBloomberg. Like its rival, the committee is pro-AI, but it’s pitching a different vision, one centered on transparency, safety standards, and public oversight. Meanwhile, the industry-backed PAC,Leading the Future, has already poured $1.1 million into ads attacking Bores, largely because he sponsoredNew York’s RAISE Act,which requires major AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious misuse of their systems.