Alex Bores stays influential in AI regulation debate after loss

In short: Even after losing a high-profile primary, New York lawmaker Alex Bores is still helping shape the national debate on AI rules.

What's going on

Alex Bores is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly who represents part of Manhattan. He used to work in tech, including at Palantir. In 2026, he ran in the Democratic primary for the open NY-12 seat in the US House, and he made regulating AI the main issue.

Bores co-wrote and sponsored New York’s RAISE Act, a major state law focused on AI safety. It pushes large AI companies to publish public safety plans and to report “catastrophic” incidents, like a serious failure linked to critical systems such as nuclear plants, or AI being used to help create new dangerous germs (pathogens).

The NY-12 race drew unusually large spending and national attention. Groups aligned with parts of the tech industry spent more than $8 million attacking Bores, while groups supporting tougher rules spent more than $16 million defending him. Bores narrowly lost to fellow Assemblymember Micah Lasher, with about 35% of the vote to Lasher’s roughly 39%.

What to watch

Bores is now being cited as an idea source for lawmakers in other states, even without winning a federal seat. He also put out an eight-point national AI framework, which functions like a starter plan for Congress. As the 2028 presidential cycle gets closer, watch whether Democratic candidates adopt parts of his approach, and how much money AI-linked groups put into races where regulation is on the ballot.

Source: NYTimes