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By Alex J. Rouhandeh
National Political Correspondent
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Two years ago, the nickname “Data Center Darline” might not have been so bad. The AI industry was at the beginning of its boom, and data centers were framed as a promising economic development that could spread the wealth of America’s high-tech economy from Silicon Valley to beyond. Twenty twenty-six is a very different time, however.
Graham has received $4.5 million this midterm cycle from AI booster groups, according to recent Q3 Federal Election Commission filings. That’s over three times more than any candidate in the country, but the reason for that isn’t because Graham is an outstanding champion of the cause. Rather, it’s reflective of an industry desperate to maintain allies in an increasingly hostile climate.
Last month, Newsweek analyzed the AI records for every member of Congress’s stance on AI, assigning AI Policy Scores to each member, rated one through five (one being a skeptic and five being a booster). While the results were largely mixed across partisan lines, one clear pattern emerged: Republicans in Congress average a 3.64 Lean Booster score on Data Centers while Democrats are Lean Skeptics at 1.97.
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Pro-AI independent expenditure spending this cycle now totals over $29 million. That figure, which just encompasses direct spending on candidates and does not include 501(c)(4) “dark money” groups, likely represents the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, AI booster groups have spent $18.5 million on Republicans this cycle and $11 million on Democrats. The only Democrat who’s received more than $1 million from pro-AI groups, Congressman Ritchie Torres of New York, posts an AI Policy Score of 3.4, leaning booster.
As a whole, AI-skeptic groups have spent $9 million attacking Republicans and under $1 million attacking Democrats. Democratic Congresswoman Valerie Foushee of California and Republican candidate Carlos De La Cruz Jr. of Texas are the only two candidates who’ve seen over $1 million in support from skeptic groups, per FEC filings.
The Trump Administration has bet its economic platform on the AI industry, pouring billions into the sector and thus latching Congressional Republicans to the issue. A September CNN poll found over 75 percent hold fears and concerns over the growth of AI, which has pushed the industry into a late sprint to save its allies in Congress. Seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their community, Gallup found.
And the issue is having resonance in normally safe Republican seats, like Graham’s. While Graham does not have an official score because she hasn’t been in Congress long enough to develop a real track record—she only filled the Senate seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham, in July—her short tenure has been marked by a pro-data-center disposition during a time in which many other Republicans are running away from the issue. In an August debate, she said, “We need to build data centers,” and has paid the subsequent price.
“South Carolina has a proud tradition of respected public servants, but is Darline Graham ready to join them?” a narrator says as the camera pans past portraits of former South Carolina leaders in a recent ad paid for by Government That Works PAC, a dark money group that has been supporting Democratic Senate campaigns this cycle. “Darline does know a lot of Washington insiders who handpicked her, and now data centers are bankrolling her campaign, so they get no regulations. Data Center Darline—she’ll put their needs ahead of yours.”
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The ad boosts Republican Senator Graham’s opponent, Dr. Amy Andrews, who built a website, DataCenterDarline.com, to draw attention to the issue, and it repeats the phrase often on the trail. And despite South Carolina’s ruby red hue, Andrews finds herself polling 48 percent to 48 percent in an October 28, New York Times/Siena poll.
While spending for preferred candidates by pro-AI groups represents the lion’s share of the total, AI skeptic groups have poured $21 million into races as well; however, that total is split. AI skeptics have spent $11 million of that total supporting candidates they favor and nearly $10 million fighting candidates they oppose. The recipient of the greatest amount of opposition money is Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio.
Husted finds himself trailing former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown by 2.6 points in the RealClear Polling average. As lieutenant governor of Ohio from 2019 to 2025, he welcomed data centers to the state. However, as politics around the issue of data centers have shifted, Husted has become more hawkish, sponsoring the Ratepayer Protection Act aimed at preventing consumers and small businesses from footing the bill for electrical grid upgrades required by AI data centers. Today, Husted posts a mixed record on data centers, scoring a 3.2 rating, yet he remains a top target
It’s ultimately this spending that could become the biggest part of the post-2026 election autopsy. Polling across the map shows Republicans in deep red states in jeopardy. If the polls hold true, Republicans will face serious questions about the poignancy of political attacks like those facing “Data Center Darline.”
“I’ve visited all 46 counties across South Carolina, and people are telling me loud and clear: they want a senator who will fight to lower their costs, end this war, stand up to data centers and special interests, and fix our broken healthcare system,” Andrews told Newsweek in a statement. “Darline Graham was handpicked by Washington insiders and special interests, but this seat belongs to the people of South Carolina.” Graham’s team did not respond to a comment request.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabriel Snyder and Gray R. Thomas
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