Micah takes Manhattan

The West Side of Manhattan, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Open AI and Assembly Member Micah Lasher won Tuesday night in New York’s most expensive, and one of its most competitive, congressional primary races this year. 

Multiple outlets called the race for Lasher shortly after 10 p.m., with the Upper West Side Assembly Member leading East Side Assembly Member Alex Bores by roughly four percentage points with 98% of scanners reporting.

Flanked by Nadler and Gov. Kathy Hochul, two of his bold-faced endorsers, Lasher addressed a standing-room only crowd at Jacob’s Pickles on the Upper West Side. “When I began this race, I said there were two things above all that I wanted to do in Congress: revamp and recharge a Democratic party in Washington that has in so many ways failed to meet the moment, and help transform it into the opposition party it must be, so we can take on the madman in the White House,” Lasher said. 

Bores spoke to a packed room of supporters at a party near Gramercy Park shortly before Lasher’s victory speech. “While we came up short, we made a mark that won't soon be forgotten,” Bores told the crowd, congratulating Lasher.

The Democratic primary in New York’s 12th congressional district is the most expensive in the city this year – not because of what candidates themselves have spent, but because of the tens of millions of dollars spent by super PACs. Those millions were all targeted for – or against – frontrunners Bores and Lasher.

But the race included two other high-profile candidates – Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg and Trump antagonist George Conway – as well as Nina Schwalbe, whose recognition grew only towards the end of the race. While Lasher ended the night with 39% of the vote and Bores 35%, Schlossberg earned just 11%, followed by Schwalbe with 7% and Conway with 6%. 

Unlike the three other competitive congressional primaries in the city this year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani didn’t endorse in NY-12 – despite being a new resident. (City Council Speaker Julie Menin, also a resident and Mamdani’s neighbor on the Upper East Side, didn’t endorse either.) 

In addition to the eight candidates on the ballot, the Democratic primary in NY-12 has featured another main character: The booming artificial intelligence industry. Bores, who sponsored AI regulation in the state Legislature known as the RAISE Act, had promised to do so in Congress too. Early in the race, the Open AI-linked Think Big PAC began spending against Bores and has now spent roughly $8 million against him. On the other hand, Anthropic-linked super PACs and a super PAC funded by crypto billionaire Chris Larsen spent around $18 million in support of Bores altogether, per Politico’s tally. 

Lasher addressed that spending in his victory speech. “I have some news for the two big AI companies who have taken such an unusual interest in who won this congressional seat,” he said. “I won't be taking my cues from either of you when it comes to protecting our kids.”