Micah Lasher's path to the Democratic nomination in New York's 12th Congressional District proved remarkably uncluttered compared to the carnage unfolding around him. While rival candidates drowned in a deluge of outside spending tied to artificial intelligence, the state assemblyman simply leaned on relationships and a carefully cultivated image as a creature of the district itself.
Lasher emerged victorious from a five-candidate field that included fellow Assemblyman Alex Bores, Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg, and George Conway, the former Republican lawyer turned Trump antagonist. But the real story of the primary was not Lasher's win so much as the billions-in-waiting mentality that turned Bores into a battleground for Silicon Valley's ideological conflicts.
Bores made AI regulation the centerpiece of his campaign, arguing that safeguards needed to exist before the industry's rapid development became unstoppable. That platform choice unleashed a firestorm. Think Big, a super PAC linked to the pro-innovation group Leading the Future, burned through at least $8 million attacking him. Leading the Future's backers include leadership at OpenAI and aligned venture capitalists who viewed Bores' regulatory agenda as an innovation killer.
Anthropic, a competing AI company, countered with its own financial assault. The Jobs and Democracy PAC, funded partly by Anthropic, spent nearly $7 million defending Bores and amplifying his message. The result was a race where AI policy consumed most of the media oxygen and campaign resources, even as the actual winner proved largely immune to the conflict.
Lasher benefited from conventional Democratic power. Governor Kathy Hochul backed him. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, still wielding considerable influence in the Manhattan-heavy district where older voters dominate, endorsed and funded him through allied groups. Retiring Representative Jerry Nadler, who currently holds the seat, also threw his weight behind Lasher. The assemblyman had worked for all three figures, cementing a reputation as an insider's insider.
The candidate himself framed his campaign around legislative accomplishments and his commitment to redrawing New York's congressional map in ways favorable to Democrats. That redistricting push resonated with the party's base during a period of national argument over district lines. Lasher's allied groups, flush with Bloomberg dollars, hammered home his endorsements and his stances on Trump administration immigration policies.
Schlossberg, making his first bid for elected office, finished a distant third despite an endorsement from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Kennedy family name and a prominent Democrat's backing proved insufficient against the establishment machinery that coalesced around Lasher.
In November, Lasher faces a general election that is barely worth discussing. The 12th District is deep blue, and a Democrat will represent it regardless of which one emerges from the primary. Lasher's comfort in that race is nearly assured.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The real winner here wasn't Lasher so much as the old-school political machines that still know how to move votes when they bother to try."
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