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AI foe or crypto bro? Big tech spending dominates debate for Manhattan House seat.
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Jun 9, 2026
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By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Jun 9, 2026
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Two state assemblymembers representing the Upper East and Upper West sides traded barbs over AI and cryptocurrency in a debate Tuesday, just five days before early voting begins in the Democratic primary for the open congressional seat encompassing much of Manhattan.
Assemblymember Alex Bores from the Upper East Side and Assemblymember Micah Lasher from the Upper West Side spent much of the night attacking each other, with polls showing them leading the crowded field.
Lasher, a protege of retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, touted his government career. He attacked Bores’ past work in the private sector for tech giant Palantir.
“I chose public service, you chose Palantir,” Lasher said at the debate co-hosted by WNYC and NY1 at Baruch College.
But Bores said his knowledge of the inner workings of big tech made him the best equipped to help regulate artificial intelligence.
“I know what actually happens inside these companies, and that's what terrifies them,” he said.
Former Republican-turned-anti-Trump Democrat George Conway, social media influencer and Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg and public health expert Nina Schwalbe launched their own broadsides against the two Albany lawmakers.
“ I just wish you guys would stop spending money on those mailers,” Schwalbe said, referencing the millions of dollars in spending that’s poured into the race from outside groups tied to AI and crypto companies.
Lasher pointed to a Super PAC funded by crypto billionaire Chris Larsen as further evidence that Bores was beholden to tech interests.
“ The crypto industry has entered the chat,” Lasher said.
Bores said he worked alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James in supporting stricter regulations on cryptocurrency.
“ This is a deliberate strategy that Micah’s consultants have come up with to try to distract from what my campaign really represents, which is fighting this industry,” he said.
Schlossberg, who rose to prominence through his irreverent social media presence, said the outside spending for Lasher and Bores presented a “risk of corruption.”
“ I'm the only one up here standing with real plans to help New Yorkers immediately,” he said.
Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, also said he was uniquely qualified to challenge United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I would love to take (him) on one-on-one and impeach him and remove him,” Schlossberg said.
Conway said he was only running for a single term and essentially on a single issue: impeaching President Donald Trump.
“ He's a sick man,” Conway said. “He's a narcissistic sociopath who's deteriorating each day.”
Conway was an influential “Never Trump” Republican who was married to Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway.
Schwalbe, who’s been struggling to break through the wall of what she’s called “four dudes,” sought to set herself apart.
The longtime public health official called on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to resign his leadership and asked her opponents to indicate their support with a show of hands. None did.
In another moment displaying the deep divides in the crowded field, Schwalbe and Schlossberg said they would vote for the “Block the Bombs Act,” which would prohibit the President from selling or transferring offensive weapons to Israel.
Lasher, Bores, and Conway said they would not.
The night ended on a point of levity. Bores said the candidates might all get a beer together after the debate – which Schwalbe criticized as another “bro moment.”
“ You're invited to the beer, Nina,” Bores said. “Beer is not gendered.”
Early voting in the Democratic primary for the 12th Congressional District begins Saturday.
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manhattan
Walter Wuthmann
Walter Wuthmann is a reporter covering public safety and the legal system.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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