A pro-technology political action committee with connections to big tech and crypto donors is using the specter of disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to go after New York congressional hopeful Alex Bores.
Think Big PAC this week sent a sharply worded mailer to voters in the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District, highlighting that Bores “once got more than $100,000” from Bankman-Fried and accusing him of being “bankrolled” by SBF’s political network. The mailer also criticizes Bores’ fundraising and positions him as out of step with the district, urging voters to “do better than Bores.”
The attack comes as Bores — a first-term state assemblymember representing parts of Manhattan — competes in a crowded, high-profile primary to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler. The race has attracted several prominent Democrats, including Jack Schlossberg of the Kennedy family and other well‑connected contenders such as George Conway, making it one of the 2026 cycle’s more closely watched contests.
Think Big’s spokesperson told CoinDesk that state filings confirm the contributions, and added: “For someone who’s railed against deep fake AI, candidate Bores doesn’t seem to have trouble creating his own reality. He raked in over $100,000 from Sam-Bankman Fried’s sordid political network but refuses to acknowledge the connection.” The PAC says it backs candidates who favor pro-technology policies and opposes those it views as hostile to AI innovation; it has previously spent to influence Democratic primaries in Ohio.
Bores has recently championed state-level AI legislation aimed at imposing guardrails and accountability for advanced systems — a legislative posture that may have made him a target for Think Big’s pro-tech advocacy. The PAC has already spent “hundreds of thousands” on television and digital ads attacking Bores, including messaging tied to his previous work at Palantir. Bores’ campaign pushed back by sending Think Big a cease-and-desist letter alleging “false and defamatory statements.” The campaign did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.
The mailer singles out Bankman-Fried because of his past role as a major political donor: in the 2022 election cycle SBF and other FTX executives were among the largest contributors to U.S. politics, backing candidates across the spectrum. A CoinDesk analysis found that 196 members of Congress — more than one-third — received campaign support from Bankman-Fried or affiliated executives during that period. In New York, Bores was one of only two state-level candidates to receive help tied to an SBF-affiliated PAC; the other was then-Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.
As the debate over AI policy heats up and crypto’s political aftershocks continue, Think Big’s campaign illustrates how past crypto-era donations remain a potent line of attack in high-stakes congressional primaries.
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