New Yorkers are going to the polls today for the Democratic primaries to fill congressional seats. The results will have implications for the entire nation. There are several key races on the ballot, each highly consequential, but the most impactful one for the AI industry is taking place in the 12th congressional district in Manhattan to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler’s seat. Outside groups have already spent more than $40 million on this one race alone. According to AdImpact, more than $26 million of this has been spent on ads, making it the second most expensive ad spend for a House primary race in recent history. Eight Democratic candidates are running in the race: key names include Assemblymember Micah Lasher, former Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway’s ex-husband and anti-Trump lawyer George Conway, John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, and Assemblymember Alex Bores. The latter on that list, Bores, has been a divisive figure for Silicon Valley and has become a poster child of an AI industry civil war over safety and regulation. Bores is running on the premise that he will “keep big tech accountable.” He does have a track record of doing so, particularly with his bill, the RAISE Act, a state-level AI safety legislation that forces the top AI companies to draft, publish and follow formalized sets of safety procedures. He has made gunning for federal-level AI regulation a centerpiece of his campaign as well, such as through an AI Dividend program that would have the government send direct payments to Americans whose jobs are replaced by AI.