A pro-technology PAC tied to major tech and crypto donors is invoking the name of disgraced ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to go after New York congressional hopeful Alex Bores, injecting crypto-politics drama into a crowded Democratic primary.
Think Big PAC — which backs candidates seen as friendly to AI and other tech innovation — distributed a sharp mailer accusing Bores of taking more than $100,000 from “Bankman-Fried’s sordid political network.” The group told CoinDesk that state election filings back the figure, and its mailer urges voters to “do better than Bores,” arguing the candidate is out of step with constituents and overly funded by SBF-linked donors. A Think Big spokesperson also criticized Bores for denouncing deepfake AI while, the PAC says, accepting sizable SBF-related political support.
The attack lands as Bores vies in a high-profile Democratic primary to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler in deep-blue Manhattan. The race has attracted several prominent contenders, including Jack Schlossberg of the Kennedy family and figures such as George Conway, making NY-12 one of the 2026 cycle’s most-watched House contests.
Bores, a first-term state assemblymember, has recently pushed state-level legislation focused on AI safety and accountability — a policy interest that may have made him a target for a PAC positioning itself as pro-AI. Think Big has previously spent heavily in Democratic primaries elsewhere, including in Ohio, and has already poured “hundreds of thousands” into TV and digital ads attacking Bores, including spots highlighting his prior work at Palantir.
The campaign-finance angle is especially resonant because Bankman-Fried — convicted in connection with the FTX collapse — was one of the largest political donors during the 2022 cycle. CoinDesk’s past analysis found that 196 members of Congress received contributions from SBF or affiliated executives. In New York state-level races, Bores was one of only two candidates to receive help from an SBF-affiliated PAC in that cycle; the other was Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.
Bores’ campaign pushed back against Think Big’s ad campaign, sending the PAC a cease-and-desist letter accusing it of “false and defamatory statements.” The campaign did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.
As tech-policy and crypto-money narratives continue to intersect on the campaign trail, this dispute highlights how past crypto-era donations remain potent political ammunition — and how AI policy commitments can become entwined with questions about who funds candidates.
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