AI billionaires' political spending backfires with voters
The gist
Elon Musk has put over $445 million into Republican campaigns, while a pro-AI Super PAC amassed $140 million.
Three-quarters of battleground voters say AI PAC money makes them less likely to back a candidate.
How it unfolded
- Oct 20, 2026Newsweek reports AI-linked donations have featured in several midterm races ahead of Election Day on November 3, including Texas, where Republican Governor Greg Abbott received millions from data center-related donors.
- Oct 21, 2026An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos survey finds nearly 60% of Americans believe AI is bad for society and more than 70% oppose a new data center being built where they live.
- Oct 21, 2026The Memphis, Tennessee city council voted down a proposal that would have paused new data center development for a year, after a heated meeting; in Hermantown, Minnesota, the council moved closer to approving a new Google data center.