New Super PAC Guardrails Alliance Mobilizes Tech Workers for AI Regulation
A new Super PAC called the Guardrails Alliance launched on Thursday with a mission to mobilize tech workers and grassroots supporters in the fight for stronger artificial intelligence regulation. The initiative, founded by Democratic operatives Shaunna Thomas and Leah Hunt-Hendrix, positions itself as a populist counterweight to the deep-pocketed pro-deregulation forces that have poured millions into the 2026 midterm elections.
A David vs. Goliath Battle
The Guardrails Alliance enters a political landscape already dominated by Leading the Future, a pro-deregulation Super PAC backed by OpenAI president Greg Brockman and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which commands a political budget exceeding $100 million. By contrast, Guardrails has raised $5 million and aims to raise $15 million this election cycle — a fraction of its opponent’s war chest.
“This is not about matching [Leading the Future] dollar for dollar,” Thomas told TechCrunch. “What this vehicle is meant to do is be a political home for people who are concerned about the way the anti-regulation AI tech sector is trying to manipulate elections.”
The NY-12 Proxy War
Guardrails is already deploying its resources. The PAC is buying $250,000 in ads to support Alex Bores, a New York congressional candidate and former tech worker who authored the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act — considered the first major U.S. state-level AI safety law, signed in New York in December 2025.
Bores is running in the June 23 Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District, a race that has become a proxy battle between competing AI industry factions. According to AP News, more than $10 million has been spent by at least three AI-related Super PACs in the contest to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler.
“This race started with AI megadonors pledging $10 million to stop me because they were afraid after I passed the strongest AI safety law in the country,” Bores said in a statement. “Since then, everyone who supports AI regulation and safety — from teachers to tech workers, from AI safety advocates to progressive activists — has united to take the other side.”
The Silicon Valley Schism
The emergence of the Guardrails Alliance underscores a deepening divide within Silicon Valley over the future of AI governance. On one side, the pro-deregulation camp — backed by Trump-aligned donors including Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Greg Brockman — argues for minimal government intervention. On the other, a growing coalition of AI safety advocates, tech workers, and companies like Anthropic push for proactive regulation.
Leading the Future has spent $7.6 million against Bores through a subsidiary, while Public First Action — backed by Anthropic with $20 million — has spent over $6 million supporting him. Crypto billionaire Chris Larsen has pledged an additional $3.5 million on Bores’ behalf.
“The lines are being drawn, and this primary is very much an expression of that,” said Morten Bay, a research fellow at the USC Center for the Digital Future, as quoted by AP News. “The core divide is regulation — whether you’re for or against it.”
Tech Worker Activism on the Rise
The Guardrails Alliance taps into growing unease within the tech industry about the political activities of company leaders. At an internal OpenAI policy meeting in May 2026, employees pressed executives on Brockman’s donations to Leading the Future. Top policy executives tried to distance OpenAI from Brockman’s activities, but many employees reportedly left the meeting unconvinced.
Thomas framed the initiative as a broader fight against what she described as an “autocratic takeover” by the Trump administration and the tech sector. “Our fundamental belief here is that people still do have the power to stop this,” she told The New York Times.
What’s at Stake
The outcome of the NY-12 primary will be closely watched as a bellwether for whether AI regulation is a winning or losing issue for candidates. If Bores wins despite — or because of — the AI money battle, it could embolden other pro-regulation candidates across the country.
Meanwhile, the broader regulatory landscape remains uncertain. The Trump administration has proposed a framework that would bar states from enacting their own AI rules in favor of a national standard, but little movement has occurred in Washington to create such a standard. This has left the industry essentially unregulated at the federal level, prompting states like New York to take action.
With the June 23 primary just days away, the Guardrails Alliance’s first test will come quickly. Whether its grassroots model can meaningfully counterbalance billionaire-backed Super PAC spending remains an open question — but one that could shape the future of AI governance for years to come.