I’ve covered a lot of elections, and most times, the issues that are going to really matter to voters aren’t brand-new or sprung on them with just two months to go. They’re predictable: the economy, a war, a long-contentious policy fight.
This year is different. While most voters tell us their biggest concern is affordability, a new issue has entered the chat, taking up an outsized amount of space on the campaign trail, on the airwaves and in party war rooms.
AI.
The advent of giant data centers, along with new fears about artificial intelligence and the companies overseeing the technology, as well as the growing issue of privacy and Flock cameras, are all presenting a minefield for politicians and party leaders, and they are scrambling to adapt.
The issues are so new to voters, in fact, that neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to have a good handle on what their positions are.
In Pennsylvania, an important swing state with a number of key U.S. House races in play, Gov. Josh Shapiro did an about-face last month, seemingly acknowledging the growing opposition.
Just this past February, the Democratic potential presidential contender touted new data centers, promising it would help mitigate the risk that China would outpace us on AI.
A few months later, Shapiro signed an executive order dramatically reining in the tech and calling out “predatory” developers.
Over on the right, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott performed the same jiujitsu, at first welcoming a $40 billion investment from Google last year and then pausing approvals for about 1,800 data center projects this month.
Democrats seem to be settling into arguments over environmental and quality of life concerns, where Republicans are increasingly embracing arguments for more local control.
It’s undoubtedly a hasty response to a dramatic shift in public opinion this year, perhaps thanks to a high-profile case in Utah involving Kevin O’Leary from “Shark Tank,” in which public backlash forced him to drastically scale back his development plans from 40,000 acres down to roughly 20,000.
A new UMass Amherst poll shows 65% of Americans do not want data centers in their communities, and it’s the rare issue that crosses party lines.
Compounding fears was a terrifying warning from a former AI executive last week that AI could end civilization within a decade and tech companies aren’t doing enough about it.
Rounding off the trifecta of worrisome tech issues are Flock cameras, automated license plate readers installed everywhere that capture vehicle and driver data.
None of this is popular with voters. But while both parties and candidates all over the country seem keenly aware of this fact, one political figure does not: President Donald Trump.
In the past week, Trump has weighed in on the controversies with what seems like reckless abandon in an election year.
He’s come out in favor of data centers, telling voters that otherwise they’ll be “backwards and poor.”
He’s called fears over AI “a hoax,” likening them to fears over climate change (also a hoax, to him), and rejected calls for more regulation.
And this week, he said he liked Flock cameras, despite jam-packed town halls full of angry citizens protesting the invasive technology.
Trump’s been unmoved by public opinion on other issues, of course, including the war in Iran, tariffs, abortion and the Epstein files. And that may just see Republicans lose their majority this November. It’s never a good idea to tell voters they’re wrong about how they feel.
It’s also not often a brand-new issue threatens to upend an election cycle, and the president is telling worried voters it doesn’t matter.
Whether he cares or not, the people disagree.
S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.