Democrats think cracking down on AI could give them an edge

This article examines how Democrats plan to approach AI as a political issue ahead of the November midterm elections, in which polls predict they could flip at least one chamber of Congress and regain committee leadership. Top Democrats on key committees have signaled willingness to scrutinize AI companies on tax credits tied to data centers and recent hacking incidents, and could call CEOs to testify and demand internal documents. AI issues are already prominent in campaign ads, particularly around data center development, while President Trump has opposed most regulation in favor of acceleration. Strategist Jesse Lehrich says AI is a hundred percent ready for the taking but questions whether Democrats will seize the opportunity. Rob Flaherty, former deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris, recently launched a super PAC called Tomorrow Together, which began a $4 million ad blitz attacking Republican candidates as out of touch on AI. Flaherty says sweeping bans on state AI regulation are broadly unpopular, and that AI is less a single issue than a story about politicians being bought off by industry. Even centrist governors like California's Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro have taken bolder stances against AI recently. Democrats are well positioned to capitalize on negative sentiment toward AI because Trump's anti-regulation stance has boxed in his party. A more sweeping regulatory agenda might include embedding independent researchers into frontier labs, requiring more safety checks, and imposing more liability on tech companies. Flaherty warns Democrats risk losing ground if they fail to take big enough swings.

(Source：The Verge)