Abstract:
With the U.S. Democratic Party winning control of the House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, the AI industry may usher in a major policy shift. As candidates who oppose data center expansion and strengthen AI regulation win the election, technology giants such as OpenAI and Meta face a stricter regulatory environment. Analysts predict that
the construction plan of as many as 1,000 data centers in the United States may slow down
, some technology companies have begun to consider moving data centers overseas.
In this midterm election, the Democratic Party not only regained control of Congress, but also made breakthroughs in many traditional Republican states and swing states. Unlike in the past, the responsibility of AI companies, the expansion of data centers and the energy costs borne by ordinary people have become important issues in this election.
After the election results came out, many AI giants remained silent. Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic responded to The Verge’s requests for comment. Musk, who had previously invested nearly $450 million in support of the Republican campaign, also deleted relevant posts calling on voters to vote for the Republican Party after the election.
According to the Wall Street Journal, executives from a number of technology companies have privately discussed the restrictions that the election results may impose on the expansion of computing resources. The impact on OpenAI is particularly concerning. Dina Powell McCormick, president of Meta Platform, revealed that some companies are considering moving data center construction outside the United States.
Wes McEnany, a former U.S. Senate labor policy official who now works with the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, described the election results as a "complete repudiation" of the AI industry.
He believes that AI is affecting every aspect of ordinary people’s lives, from employment, social media to residents’ electricity bills, but the public lacks the right to participate in relevant decision-making.
43 data center restrictions were passed, and AI expansion encountered resistance
Data center construction has become the most prominent technological controversy in this US election.
According to The Verge, in the local vote held on November 3,
43 of the 44 measures involving the suspension of data center construction were passed.
An NBC News Election Day poll showed that 76% of voters surveyed opposed the construction of data centers in their communities.Residents’ main concerns center on rising electricity bills, noise pollution, and the burden that data center construction will place on local infrastructure.
Gina Hinojosa, the newly elected governor of Texas, has made it clear that she plans to suspend approval of new data center projects until the state Legislature passes relevant laws to protect the interests of local residents. Newly elected leaders in several other states have made similar claims.
Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of Guardrails Alliance, a political action committee that promotes AI regulation, said opposition to data center expansion is one of the most bipartisan political issues she has ever seen.
Kyle Jacobs-Morse, deputy executive director of The Tech Oversight Project, a technology industry watchdog organization, pointed out that the data center controversy is evolving into a broader technology company accountability issue.
For ordinary people, the core question is: Why do large technology companies expand their AI businesses, but require local residents to bear higher electricity bills and infrastructure costs?
The construction of thousands of data centers may slow down, and technology giants face new uncertainties
The election results may also change the rapid expansion model of the US AI industry in recent years.
Yorkville Ives & Co. analysts predicted in a report that as the regulatory environment tightens, the planning and construction of up to 1,000 data centers in the United States may slow down. This may not only affect the speed of computing power expansion of technology companies, but may also change the pace of AI infrastructure investment.
In addition, the Democrats winning control of Congress may hinder the Trump administration’s previous efforts to restrict states from enacting their own AI regulatory laws.
Thomas believes that plans to block state-level AI regulatory legislation have lost political feasibility. Jacobs-Moss predicts that there may be more accountability bills targeting technology companies in the United States in the future.
It is worth noting that some industry observers believe that the slowdown in data center construction may not be entirely bad news.
Some analysts pointed out that moderately slowing down the pace of investment in AI infrastructure may help curb the excessive influx of capital and reduce the risk of investment bubbles in the AI industry.
Glen Echo Group CEO Katie Barr reminded that the election results should not be simply interpreted as the American people's overall opposition to technological development.
She believes that what voters really care about is the cost of living, employment, security, and their ability to participate in major decisions that affect the community and daily life.
AI safety regulation may be accelerated, and technology giants face pressure from congressional investigations
In addition to data center construction, AI security may also become an important issue in the new U.S. Congress.
Many Democratic congressmen who won the election have clearly supported strengthening AI regulation. In his victory speech, Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff criticized Silicon Valley giants for building refuge facilities for themselves while warning the public that the AI they developed could lead to human extinction.
Previously, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar proposed legislation in September aimed at restricting the development of superintelligence. As the political landscape in Congress changes, relevant policy discussions may advance further.
However, there is still uncertainty about the final direction of AI safety regulation. The Trump administration has previously been opposed to strict AI regulation, and the Democratic Party has yet to form a unified line on how to balance technological innovation and safety regulation.
Adam Kovacevich, founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress, a pro-tech industry advocacy organization, said it remains to be seen whether the Democratic Party will adopt the tougher technology regulatory policies of the Biden era or return to the relatively friendly technology policies of the Obama era.
For American AI giants who are investing huge sums of money to compete for computing power and model capabilities, this midterm election has released an important signal: the future competition in the AI industry will not only depend on technological breakthroughs and capital investment, but will also be increasingly affected by energy costs, local community attitudes, and political regulation.
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