Two opposing factions within the artificial intelligence industry are playing a role in a Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing several candidates who share many of his political views.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, after two of his endorsed gubernatorial candidates lost Republican primaries this month, has endorsed both candidates competing in a South Carolina runoff.
Those are among the races drawing attention as voters head to the polls Tuesday for primaries in Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah.
The crowded Democratic primary in New York has attracted significant involvement from competing segments of the artificial intelligence industry, largely because of one candidate: New York Assemblyman Alex Bores.
Bores, a former Palantir employee who has said he left the company because of ethical concerns, sponsored one of the country's more expansive state-level AI regulation bills. He has pointed to that legislation, which faced opposition from some industry groups, as a model for how he would approach regulation in Congress.
After Bores entered the race for the congressional district being vacated by retiring Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler, a political group supported by investors in OpenAI spent more than $7 million on advertisements opposing his candidacy.
Another segment of the industry, which generally favors greater AI regulation, also became involved in the race.
Political groups partly funded by Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, spent more than $10 million supporting Bores. Anthropic was co-founded by former OpenAI employee Dario Amodei, who left the company in part because of concerns about AI safety.
The election may provide insight into the political influence of different factions within the AI industry.
The New York City mayor has endorsed several Democratic primary candidates who align with his political outlook. They are challenging more established candidates, some of whom have support from party leadership.
U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district includes lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn, faces Brad Lander, the former comptroller and a candidate endorsed by Mamdani. A major point of disagreement between the two Jewish candidates is the war in Gaza, with Lander criticizing Goldman for not being sufficiently critical of Israel.
Farther north, Democrat U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 71, is running against Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, who has received Mamdani's endorsement. Avila Chevalier is a democratic socialist who has not previously held elected office and works at a public defender's office providing legal assistance to victims of police brutality.
For the seat covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, where U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez is retiring, Mamdani endorsed Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who also identifies as a democratic socialist. Velázquez has endorsed another candidate, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
The three primaries may offer insight into both Mamdani's influence within local politics and voter support for democratic socialist candidates in New York City.
Trump often highlights his record of endorsing winning candidates in Republican primaries, though two of his endorsed gubernatorial candidates lost their primaries this month in Georgia and Iowa.
In South Carolina's Republican runoff for governor, Trump has endorsed both remaining candidates.
The president initially endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in May. On Friday, he also endorsed Evette's opponent, state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
“I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!” he wrote in a social media post Friday. “It’s a Wealth of Riches – With either one you can’t go wrong.”
Because Trump has endorsed both candidates, the winner of the runoff will have received his endorsement.
Utah's Democratic primaries have attracted increased attention this year because of recent redistricting changes.
The new map created a heavily Democratic district centered on Salt Lake City. As a result, Democrat candidates have increasingly emphasized progressive policy positions while competing for primary voters.
That dynamic has affected former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams. As he runs against three opponents with more progressive platforms, McAdams has sought to distinguish himself from his earlier political profile.
When McAdams successfully challenged a Republican incumbent in 2018, he described himself as pro-life and emphasized a moderate approach. In the new district, he has pledged to support abortion rights and has said he is only “moderate in tone."
Among the candidates challenging him are state Sen. Nate Blouin, who has argued that voters have become accustomed to Democrats who will “play nice” with Republicans and who has received support from Sen. Bernie Sanders. Another challenger is political newcomer Liban Mohamed.
Republican Larry Hogan served as Maryland governor for eight years while promoting a relatively moderate conservative platform in the traditionally Democratic state.
After Hogan left office, Democrat Wes Moore became governor in 2024 and is now seeking reelection. Republicans, however, have yet to unite behind a clear successor, and Tuesday's primary will determine the party's nominee from a field of nine candidates.
One candidate is attorney Dan Cox, who lost a gubernatorial bid four years ago and has campaigned on tax cuts and housing affordability initiatives. Another is Ed Hale, owner of the Baltimore Blast soccer team and a retired banking executive, who changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican before entering the race.