Election Q&A: Meet NY-12 Candidate Alex Bores

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Democratic candidate Alex Bores is running for Congress in District 12 in New York City's primary election on Tuesday, June 23.

Bores will face off against fellow Democratic candidates for Jerry Nadler's seat, including Assemblymember Micah Lasher, Jack Schlossberg, George Conway, Nina Schwalbe, Laura Dunn and Chris Diep.

NY-12 includes the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Midtown, Hell’s Kitchen, Central Park, Union Square, Chelsea and Stuyvesant Town.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Bores about his platform, priorities, experience, and district. See his replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for NY-12 in the 2026 primary election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Bores said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

BORES: The Upper East Side. I'm a fifth-generation New Yorker — born, raised, and lived nearly my entire life here. Now I get to raise my son in the same neighborhood I grew up in.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

BORES: English

PATCH: What’s your professional and educational background?

BORES: After attending public schools here in the district (P.S. 6, Wagner Middle School, and Hunter High School), I went to Cornell University and eventually earned a Master’s Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Computer Science.

I spent most of my career in the tech industry, building systems to help the Department of Justice tackle
the opioid epidemic, help the VA give veterans the care they deserve and need, and helping municipalities distribute aid during the Covid pandemic.

In 2022 I was elected to the Assembly, where I've been rated the most effective new legislator from NYC, passing laws to crack down on telemarketing scams, ban junk fees, and enact the strongest AI safety regulation in the country. Now I’m a new dad and a candidate for Congress in NY-12.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

BORES: Owner

PATCH: The cost of living in NYC is going up. What’s your plan to make New York City more affordable?

BORES: We need to take on the cost-of-living crisis in this city on multiple fronts. My plan fixes the tax code, so working and middle-class New Yorkers aren't subsidizing billionaires, lowers insurance premiums that are crushing families, and invests in infrastructure while fighting back against Trump's tariffs that drive up the cost of everything from groceries to construction.

Housing is the biggest mover of costs. We need to build a lot of housing quickly, which means removing zoning barriers and bureaucratic delays that drive up the cost for everybody. I’ll push for expanded federal investment in social housing and rental assistance programs so working New Yorkers aren’t priced out of the City they built. I’ll expand the low-income housing tax credit, build and preserve affordable housing at
scale, and invest in the infrastructure this district relies on.

This isn’t just about rent, we need to drive down the cost of everyday expenses people see and feel every day. Grocery, childcare, and healthcare costs need to be brought under control. I'll keep doing what I've done in Albany: going after the junk fees, robocalls, and price-gougers nickel-and-diming families on everyday costs. There is no one simple answer to making this city affordable, but there are tools at our
disposal in Washington that drive down costs across the city.

PATCH: What is your position on bike lane expansion and street redesigns?

BORES: I support expanding bike infrastructure and redesigning streets to make them safer for everyone, cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. The data consistently shows these changes save lives, and this district deserves streets that reflect that. I'll push to ensure these projects move forward with genuine community input and full attention to accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York safer.

BORES: First, I'll fight to pass universal background checks for all firearm sales and reinstate the federal assault weapons ban because New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, but they're undermined every day by weaker federal standards that let firearms flood in from other states.

Second, I'll push to enact a national red flag law modeled on the Extreme Risk Protection Orders that have already saved lives in states that have adopted them, giving law enforcement and families the legal tools to act before tragedy strikes. I'll also fight to fully fund gun violence research and invest in
community violence intervention programs, because Congress blocked the CDC from even studying this issue for decades, and we're still paying the price for that negligence.

Gun violence is a public health crisis, and it deserves the same data-driven, evidence-based response we'd bring to any other epidemic. That's the approach I've brought to every fight in Albany, and it's what I'll bring to Washington.

PATCH: What are your thoughts on the buffer zone bills sparked by protests in the district?

BORES: I've cosponsored the bill to establish buffer zones around houses of worship, and I believe we should look seriously at what a federal version could look like. Protecting people's ability to worship freely and protecting the right to free speech are not in conflict. With the right, carefully designed policy, everyone can be safe.

We also need to take a hard look at our federal security grant program, because right now it can only be used for infrastructure. The reality is that a lot of what it actually costs to protect these spaces is people. We should be expanding the total amount of money we're putting into these grants and broadening what that funding is allowed to cover, so congregations and community organizations aren't left footing the bill for their own protection. This district has seen firsthand what happens when houses of worship become targets, and I'm committed to making sure every New Yorker can practice their faith without fear.

PATCH: What type of relationship will you have with the Trump administration?

BORES: I'll fight Trump wherever he's hurting New Yorkers. On Medicaid cuts, housing, public services, democratic norms, and the gutting of federal agencies that this city and state depend on. Three of Trump's largest donors are already spending $10 million to try to stop my campaign. They know I’m coming in with the expertise and experience to curtail Trump’s corruption and rein in the AI industry.

Where there is a genuine, even narrow opportunity to deliver something concrete for New Yorkers on infrastructure funding, disaster relief, or anything else, I'll engage. My job as a Congressman will be to wage the right political fights and deliver results for the New Yorkers I represent. This administration has made clear it doesn’t have New York City’s interest at heart. I will hold the line every single day in Washington to protect them from the Trump administration's senseless attacks and fight for federal funding and resources to go to this district.

PATCH: It’s a large field: what sets you apart from the other candidates?

BORES: After I passed the strongest AI safety law in the country, three of Trump's largest donors created a $10 million Super PAC to try to stop me. That tells you everything about who the powerful are most afraid of. I'm the only candidate in this race who has actually taken on the tech oligarchs and won. And I’m the only candidate who has taken on Trump and won; and I did it twice. First, I beat his executive order to pass the RAISE Act, the strongest AI safety law in the country. Then, I introduced a bill to tax 100% of his proposed January 6 Slush Fund, which five states copied, and ultimately made the President fold. I'll bring that same record of real results to Congress. Every candidate will say they'll fight Trump; I'm the one his megadonors are fighting back against.

PATCH: What local experience most shaped your politics?

BORES: When I was eight years old, my dad was locked out by Disney. He was a union shop steward, and the company shut him and his coworkers out for fighting for better healthcare. I spent that stretch of my childhood walking picket lines with him, holding a sign that read "Disney Is Mean to My Daddy." My mom was a union worker too. So before I knew a thing about policy, I knew which side I was on. That experience taught me that the only way we win, is when we do things together. It's why I got into government, and it's still what drives me today.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.