AI and data centers have emerged as a major political issue, appearing on 40% of current campaign websites and influencing policy discussions across roughly 90% of U.S. states, surpassing topics like cryptocurrencies, Israel, manufacturing, and race.

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed advances an AI policy package titled First, Do No Harm: AI Under Democracy, advocating democratic control and private ownership, alongside a separate policy on data centers.

Data center dynamics are shifting candidate viability, illustrated by Utah State Senator J. Stuart Adams, who saw his campaign falter after attempting a rebrand centered on data centers.

Democratic candidates tend to highlight broader AI harms, data center concerns, AI use by police and military, child safety, jobs, and potential benefits, whereas Republicans emphasize China and national security in their AI messaging.

There is a partisan framing difference: Democrats often stress safeguards and negative potential of AI, while Republicans foreground national security implications related to China.

Public opinion on data centers has shifted rapidly, with a 49-point swing in nine months, signaling that AI and data center issues have moved from niche to pivotal in political discourse.