Democrats are increasingly treating AI as a winning political issue, according to a new report from The Verge. With polls predicting the party could flip at least one chamber of Congress in the midterms, Democratic leaders on key committees are signaling they would use that power to press AI companies on data center tax breaks, safety practices, and recent hacking incidents. Committee control would also let them call CEOs to testify and demand internal documents.
The shift comes as AI-related concerns—especially data center development—have driven voters to packed local meetings across the political spectrum. A new Democratic super PAC, Tomorrow Together, has already spent $4 million on ads in battleground House races, framing Republicans as out of touch on issues like kids' online safety and data centers. The group's polling found that sweeping bans on state AI regulation, pushed by Trump and congressional Republicans, are broadly unpopular.
The report notes that Trump's largely anti-regulation stance has left his party exposed, though some Republicans have carved out more skeptical positions. Democratic strategists argue the party is well positioned to capitalize on negative sentiment toward AI, but the direction and intensity of future oversight remain open questions. A broader agenda could include embedding independent researchers in frontier labs, requiring more safety checks, and imposing more liability on tech companies for harms to children, workers, or housing applicants.