Analysis
Democrats Target AI, Data Centers, Elon Musk and Big Tech in Midterm Victory Speeches
Justin Hendrix / Nov 4, 2026
Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico concludes a victory speech at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
After United States midterm elections in which Democrats posted historic gains in Congress, state legislatures and governorships, candidates took the stage to deliver victory speeches. Consistent with the salience of AI and data centers in the political discourse, concerns over the influence of tech oligarchs such as Elon Musk, and the role of Big Tech in shaping the information ecosystem and the economy, many candidates named these issues directly. Some also complained about AI deepfakes.
What follows is a sample of such statements from races in a variety of jurisdictions.
Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown
US Senate, Ohio (special election)
“I do not work for data centers.”
5:09Sen.-elect Annie Andrews
US Senate, South Carolina
“A South Carolina…. where decisions about our communities are made by the people who live in our communities, not the billionaires or data center companies in Washington, D.C.”
10:50Sen. Jon Ossoff
US Senate, Georgia
“Meanwhile, the titans of Silicon Valley dig bunkers for themselves and warn that the artificial intelligence they’re creating risks human extinction.”
5:37“We committed to continuing the work of bringing Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and Big Tech to heal in the defense of struggling Georgia families.”
7:09Sen.-elect James Talarico
US Senate, Texas
“In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths: the richest man in the world, the most powerful man in the world, and the entire Washington, D.C., establishment.”
1:52“We went up against all the negative ads, smear campaigns, foreign bots, and AI deepfakes that money can buy.”
5:17“But the billionaires who own the social media algorithms, who own the cable news networks, who own the politicians fighting on our screens, they want us at each other’s throats.”
9:35Sen.-elect Josh Turek
US Senate, Iowa
“Because in Iowa, Elon Musk does not decide our elections.”
5:52Rep. Chris Pappas
US Senate, New Hampshire
Sen. Mark Warner
US Senate, Virginia
“And right now, with AI, there are possibilities of innovation, there’s possibilities of great creation, whole new industries, but there’s also a dark side of this. From data centers to AI safety, to the notion that we’ve got to make sure that we create jobs for that next generation of college students coming out that are going to be meaningful. And this is too important to be left to Donald Trump and a few of these tech bros making all the rules.”
16:38Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan
US Senate, Minnesota
“We are going to get rid of prior authorizations so that some dude behind a desk, or worse yet an AI bot, can’t determine whether or not you get the life-saving healthcare that your doctor has prescribed.”
12:11Gov. JB Pritzker
Governor, Illinois
Gov. Josh Shapiro
Governor, Pennsylvania
“It’s how we made sure that big tech doesn’t get to write the rules that shape our future, but instead the folks in our local communities get the final say.”
6:33Gov. Kathy Hochul
Governor, New York
“And we’re holding the world’s largest, most powerful AI companies accountable. [and] having the nation’s first moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.”
9:26Gov. Maura Healey
Governor, Massachusetts
“We need to protect our kids in a world of social media and our jobs in the face of AI.”
6:11Rep.-elect Christina Bohannan
US House, Iowa 1st District
“We have to legislate for the perils and the promises of artificial intelligence.”
8:19Rep.-elect Zach Dembo
US House, Kentucky 6th District
“We also know this race was the subject of tons of corporate money and dark money pouring in. We all got to see that on the TV. We all saw the AI alterations of my face and the crazy things they had me doing. On either side, we should not have dark money, and that’s why I am committed to overturning Citizens United through a constitutional amendment.”
6:28Rep. Gabe Vasquez
US House, New Mexico 2nd District
Mary Peltola
US Senate candidate, Alaska (race remains a toss-up)
“I see hundreds of people in this room who do not care how much money Elon Musk has put into this race. We do not care. We do not care what Elon Musk thinks.”
10:21
Authors
Justin Hendrix
Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy. Previously, he was Executive Director of NYC Media Lab. He spent over a decade at The Economist in roles including Vice President of Business Development & In...
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