Big Tech claims voters’ AI backlash is “anti-Trump” not “anti-tech”
Ars Technica reports that the 2026 midterms dealt a major setback to Donald Trump's AI buildout, with 38 of 44 data-center-restricting ballot measures passing and Democrats Gina Hinojosa in Texas along with governors in Arizona, Georgia, and Ohio winning seats in key data center states, while Trump's post-election Truth Social posts blamed Fox News without mentioning AI. Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich called it an anti-Trump wave rather than an anti-tech mandate, but the Leadership Conference's Alejandra Montoya-Boyer called it the first true AI election, and analysts expect tighter rules, delays to roughly two-thirds of 2028 capacity, and possible gains for China.
