New York City House primary emerges as key battleground in ‘AI civil war’

AI-focused Super Pacs are spending heavily in midterms, and nearly half has gone to a single Manhattan district race

The artificial intelligence industry is spending heavily in the 2026 midterms, hoping to secure influence over the technology’s first generation of legislation – and New York City’s primary has emerged as the key battleground.

AI-focused Super Pacs have raised roughly $100m this cycle, of which $44m has been spent so far, in dozens of congressional races across the country. Nearly half of all spending has converged on a single Manhattan race: Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the district of NY-12.

Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon contributed reporting