Democrats in More Than 130 Races Ran Anti-Tech or Anti-Data Centre Ads, Report Says

The figure is a sharp rise from the previous three election cycles. The report found only two Democratic ads that mentioned these topics between 2020 and 2024, Semafor reported. This cycle, Democrats used anti-tech messages four times as often as Republicans, according to the analysis.

The ads ran in nearly every battleground state and in three governor races rated as toss-ups. Ads cited in the report blamed AI for price gouging, harm to children and healthcare denials. Ads focused on data centres attacked Republicans over water use and threats to farmland.

The Tech Oversight Project, which is mostly funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic network, argues in the report that Democrats "have potentially found a winning message." It urges the party to reject "a return to business as usual in Washington, Silicon Valley fundraisers, and light-touch approaches." Backing away after the election would be "a betrayal of their campaign promises", the group wrote, and would create resentment that it said would cost the party in 2028.

Pressure on the Party

According to Semafor, groups that want stricter rules on AI and social media see an opening to push Democrats in Congress and potential 2028 presidential candidates further on AI safety and data centres. They argue that conservatives have lost credibility on the issue because of President Donald Trump's close ties to billionaire technology executives.

The analysis adds to evidence that the AI build-out has become a mainstream political issue in the United States. Separate research by Data Center Watch found that 32.4% of Democratic candidates back moratoriums on new data centres, against 3.4% of Republicans, and industry-aligned super PACs have spent heavily in dozens of races this year.

For technology companies and data centre investors, the result of Tuesday's vote may shape how far a future Congress goes on AI regulation and how much local resistance new projects face. The report is the work of an advocacy group that supports tighter rules, and Semafor did not report a response from industry groups.