Think Big PAC Targets NY Congressional Candidate Alex Bores Over Sam Bankman-Fried Ties

A crypto-backed political action committee is using Sam Bankman-Fried's infamous legacy to attack New York Democratic congressional hopeful Alex Bores ahead of a competitive 2026 primary. Think Big PAC, which counts major tech and crypto donors among its supporters, distributed a mailer accusing Bores of receiving over $100,000 from the disgraced FTX founder's political network — a figure confirmed through state elections filings — while claiming that "Bankman-Fried's buddies are bankrolling Bores for Congress."

The attack comes at a pivotal moment. Bores is competing in New York's 12th Congressional District Democratic primary, a high-profile race to replace longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler. The contest has attracted notable contenders including Jack Schlossberg, a member of the Kennedy family, and prominent attorney George Conway, making it one of the most watched Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle in the deep-blue Manhattan district.

Think Big PAC, which says it backs candidates supportive of pro-technology and pro-innovation policies, appears to have zeroed in on Bores partly due to his recent push for artificial intelligence safety legislation at the state level. As a first-term New York assemblymember, Bores has introduced bills seeking to impose accountability measures on advanced AI systems — a move that seemingly put him in the crosshairs of tech-aligned donors.

While Bankman-Fried and FTX executives were among the largest political donors in the 2022 cycle — with a CoinDesk analysis identifying over 196 members of Congress who received related support — Bores stood out as one of just two state-level New York candidates to benefit from that network.

This is not the PAC's first strike. Earlier ads attacking Bores' past work at data analytics firm Palantir prompted his campaign to issue a cease-and-desist letter citing false and defamatory claims. Bores' team has not publicly addressed the latest mailer.