AI-related super PACs have put $2.55 million into this race, casting Bores as a poster child for the fight over AI safeguards.
www.transformernews.ai/p/alex-bores...
🚨 First in Transformer: new polling puts Bores race for NY-12 significantly closer than was expected, signaling that super PAC money could be a deciding factor.
đź—˝I also checked in on Bores' campaign in NY-12, where the candidate's anti-Palantir narrative is showing some cracks. Politico reported this week that he held on to Palantir stock 3 months into his campaign, while an old colleague of his told me there was no "bad blood" when he left the company.
🇺🇸Some analysis from me on the Texas and North Carolina primaries this week. The elections give us a glimpse into the two major AI super PAC's opposing strategies.
Incredibly incredibly proud of this tracker my colleagues and I built, but that's not the only thing in the newsletter this week. We also have...
You can also see where employees of major AI firms are donating.
We plan to expand and improve the dashboard as the campaign cycle progresses. Let us know what other features you'd like to see!
The tracker pulls data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) website so you can see who is spending money and where. In this initial version, you can track money raised and money spent by super PACs and how candidates they're supporting have fared in elections so far.
AI is playing a huge role in this year's midterm elections. To date, AI-focused super PACs have spent more than $9 million on the elections, and we're not even through the 1st quarter.
That's why @transformernews.ai has created the AI Campaign Finance Tracker.
elections.transformernews.ai
The White House “took something that was potentially negotiable and turned it into something existential,” Toscano told me.
Read here: www.transformernews.ai/p/white-hous...
Polling shows Utah Trump voters are even more upset about risks to children using AI than Trump voters nationally - and nationally, nearly 90% of Trump voters want the admin to prioritize child safety over tech industry growth.
The White House (presumably Sacks') efforts to block Utah's AI transparency is remarkable not only because it's sponsored by a Republican state lawmaker, but because the bill is focused on child safety protections — an issue the MAGA base consistently rallies around.
In today's @transformernews.ai weekly briefing, I spoke with the Institute for Family Studies' Michael Toscano about why the White House is going against Trump's own voters on AI regulation in the state.
Happily, you don’t need to do much to trace any of this as we’re extremely transparent about it!
www.transformernews.ai/p/standards-...
In my first story for Transformer, I wrote about how Alex Bores' AI framework is a bellwether for Democratic messaging on AI:
www.transformernews.ai/p/alex-bores...
🚨In more dark money news:
Transformer has learned the 501(c)(4) Build American AI hosted the Chief's Reception, a gathering of Republican Senators' Chiefs of Staff, alongside the National Republican Senatorial Committee's Winter Retreat last Saturday.
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A recent press release put total funds raised even higher at $125million, with $70m cash on hand (FEC data is only updated through 12/31 as of now).
Nine months to go until the midterms...
That money comes by way of large donations from the likes of Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Greg and Anna Brockman, plus Joe Lonsdale to its Republican affiliate and Ron Conway to its Democratic affiliate.
The release states the ad buy is meant to counteract investment from Super PAC Leading the Future, which has targeted Bores.
Leading the Future has a more than $50m war chest, also according to FEC data.
🚨NEWS🚨: A new PAC called DREAM NYC launched a six figure ad buy for NY-12 in support of candidate Alex Bores, according to a press release.
DREAM NYC appears to be funded entirely by Anthropic's Daniel Ziegler, who gave $50k last year according to FEC data.
We've got all the vital AI news from every outlet you could read, and all the maddening discourse from every feed you could endlessly browse.
Consider our weekly newsletter a hub to stay on top of everything going on in the very dizzying world of AI.
www.transformernews.ai/p/dario-amod...
I'll be splitting the work week between NYC and DC, and I'm eager to set up lots of intro calls and coffee chats over the next month or so!
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Our fearless leader @shakeelhashim.com has produced impactful coverage since the day he created Transformer, and makes ethical reporting a top priority.
I've also always been keen to work in a nonprofit newsroom.
Nonprofit newsrooms have different incentives: reporters don't have to fight for ad-generating clicks or subscribers, and get to pursue impactful reporting without the burden of worrying about profits.
And the stakes are high. *Because* AI looks to be a transformative technology, and because many of the largest companies are based in the United States, the policy decisions made in Washington now will impact people globally for years to come.
This area is full of fascinating characters who move fast and have strong opinions.
Questions of state preemption, AI safety, national security, job security, and several other topics are top of mind for voters across the country.
The White House has a dedicated AI policy operation.
I can't imagine a more fun story to cover.
It's only February and the industry is already exercising significant influence over congressional campaigns for the 2026 midterms.
