A Washington Post analysis of more than 1,200 candidate websites shows AI features in almost 40 percent of House, Senate and gubernatorial races. The dominant sub-topic is data centres.
The Washington Post analysed the websites of more than 1,200 active candidates. Artificial intelligence appears as a topic in almost 40 percent of races, displacing long-established campaign themes. The most frequent angle is data centres and their effect on local electricity prices, water use and land.
The emphasis differs by party: Democratic candidates address AI twice as often and stress risks, regulation and child protection. Republican candidates foreground national security and competition with China. Separate polling shows a largely sceptical public worried about job losses.
For companies with sites or construction plans in the United States this changes the permitting picture. Once power, water and land questions become politically charged, location decisions no longer rest on the business case alone but also on local acceptance.
What this means for decision-makers
- For planned data centre or production sites in the US, assess the local political situation, not just grid connection and land price.
- Prepare defensible figures on power and water demand; these numbers will be debated in public.
- Build longer permitting timelines into your plans where AI infrastructure has become a campaign issue.
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