NOVEMBER 04: U.S. House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Ted Lieu (D-CA) speaks during a press conference at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters on November 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. Democrats successfully flipped control of both the House and Senate following historic wins in the 2026 midterm elections, shifting the balance of power in Washington. (Photo by Tom Brenner/
WASHINGTON (TNND) —The period of Republican-controlled Washington’s hands-off approach to the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is about to end.
Midterm voters across the country elected Democratic candidates who campaigned on legislative guardrails for AI and passed dozens of state and local ballot measures limiting construction of new data centers. SSRS exit polling found 56% of voters said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their votes for Congress.
During a post-election press conference Wednesday with Democratic House leadership, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., previewed their blueprint for executing what’s viewed as a clear mandate from the electorate.
The Trump administration and House Republicans last year made a conscious decision to let the AI industry run wild. And that was a bad decision politically and a bad decision on policy. Two things will change next term: We will hold public hearings on AI. We will pass legislation, reasonable guardrails on AI,” Lieu, the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said.
Lieu co-chairs a House Democratic commission on AI formed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last year. He said he and his colleagues will release a document outlining policy priorities for the new Congress.
Many of the Democratic candidates who defeated incumbent Republicans ran in part on ideas for broad AI regulation. South Carolina Senator-elect Annie Andrews advocated for a two-year moratorium on data centers. North Carolina Senator-elect Roy Cooper called for requirements that data centers cover the full costs of their energy consumption. Texas Senator-elect James Talarico wants to prioritize youth safety.
Less than 48 hours after Election Day, OpenAI announced new commitments for its data centers, including covering energy costs and investing in jobs. Democrats will likely advance policies requiring OpenAI and other AI giants to go much further than what their voluntary safety and accountability standards entail.
Voluntary commitments from companies are an important starting point, but our blueprint goes further—asking federal, state, and local policymakers to establish clear rules for how the industry builds. New policy is required to establish trust and confidence between communities, elected officials and companies,” the company said in a statement.
Though Democrats won sizeable House and Senate majorities, they’re not quite large enough to override a presidential veto. President Donald Trump has been a vocal opponent of regulating AI – which he calls SI, short for “super intelligence” – and a champion of data centers, but voters’ resounding rejection of Republican policies may push him to find room for compromise.
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