Political spectrum

California voters rejected Proposition 39, a Republican-backed voter ID measure, with about 60% voting no. The initiative, championed by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio and his group Reform California, drew roughly $37 million in support from national GOP donors including Richard Uihlein and Joe Gebbia, framed as a security and fraud-prevention measure despite experts calling voter fraud rare in the state.

Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff, campaigned heavily against it, calling it voter suppression, with opposition spending around $35 million. Critics also cited potential implementation costs reaching the low hundreds of millions. The result could influence similar voter ID campaigns in other states.

A new UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research-POLITICO poll finds that 51% of registered California voters oppose the construction of new data centers to power AI, while roughly a quarter support it. Opposition rises to 61% when respondents are asked about a data center being sited in their own community, a finding poll co-director Jack Citrin attributes to a strong desire for local control.

The sentiment reflects broader public unease about AI's growth, though data centers rank low among voters' overall priorities, with just 3% naming AI or data centers as the state's most important issue. Views split sharply by party: 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents back new data centers, versus about an eighth of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Several California cities, including San Francisco, Monterey Park, and Fresno, have passed or are weighing bans on new facilities, despite industry warnings that data centers are essential infrastructure for the state's tech-driven economy. Governors in Texas, Pennsylvania, and California have all shown growing openness to regulating the sector.

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, sparked bipartisan backlash after posting on social media about Asian American students cheering at a University of Texas football game following a comeback win over Ohio State, calling them "foreigners" and saying they showed how "Americans have been displaced by foreigners." Two students identified in the photo, Dhairya Gupta and Rahul Kodali, said they are U.S. citizens and called the post racist; Gupta said the incident showed racism "isn't looked down upon as much as it used to be." UT Austin enrollment data show international students make up less than 10% of the student body, with Asian students, mostly U.S. citizens or permanent residents, accounting for about 22.4% of enrollment. French has refused to delete the posts, denied regret when asked directly, and said "Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth," using the controversy for fundraising.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn condemned the posts as racist, warning that tolerating such intolerance is "how great political parties self-destruct," and Rep. Dan Crenshaw also criticized French. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and GOP representatives including Jared Patterson, Jeff Leach, Matt Shaheen, and Lacey Hull called on French to delete the posts, while former Speaker Dade Phelan called him "unfit for office." Gov. Greg Abbott said the message wasn't his but stopped short of directly condemning French, instead touting support for freezing H-1B visas at universities; he has since endorsed French, as has Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing a Senate primary challenge from Democrat James Talarico, deflected criticism onto Talarico rather than address French's remarks. French previously faced calls to resign as county chair over a poll on Jews versus Muslims.

A politically diverse coalition — including Bernie Sanders, Steve Bannon, and lawmakers from both parties — gathered in Washington, D.C. for a "Pro-Human Assembly" calling for guardrails on artificial intelligence development. Republican Rep. Chip Roy and Democratic Rep. Greg Casar both warned against unchecked AI growth, citing constituent concerns over data centers, jobs, and competition with rivals like China. Rep. Lori Trahan touted her bipartisan FRONTIER Act, which would create independent evaluators for frontier AI models.

The event follows AI researcher Jacob Coxon's public resignation from Anthropic over safety concerns, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's call for developers to slow down, echoed by OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk. President Trump has dismissed AI risk concerns as a "hoax," insisting strong leadership is sufficient safeguard, while Vice President JD Vance struck a more cautious tone. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump will meet AI executives at the White House soon. CBS polling shows most Americans doubt government oversight of AI will be adequate and expect job losses from the technology.

A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll of 600 likely Michigan voters, conducted by the Glengariff Group, found 64% oppose new data center construction, with only 19% support. Opposition crossed party lines, with strong Democrats most opposed (76%) but every subgroup showing majority disapproval. A 54% majority backed a one-year moratorium, though many opponents want an outright end rather than a pause. Michigan has 70 operational data centers, with more planned.

Similar tensions are playing out elsewhere. In Ohio, the Ohio Business Roundtable launched "Future Ready Ohio" to counter what it calls misinformation about data centers' water and electricity use, while Conserve Ohio has gathered over 130,000 signatures for a ballot measure banning hyperscale facilities. In Greensboro, North Carolina, city council held its first work session under a 180-day moratorium to examine data centers' water and wastewater impacts, with more sessions planned before the pause expires in February. The issue has become politically charged in Senate races: Michigan's Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed both back construction pauses, while Ohio's Sherrod Brown has targeted Sen. Jon Husted, complicating Republican messaging as Trump continues pushing for rapid data center expansion nationally.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom capped a multi-state "take it back tour" with eight public events across South Carolina, plus stops in Alabama and North Carolina, intensifying speculation about a 2028 Democratic presidential run. In North Carolina, Newsom campaigned for U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper in Charlotte and rallied Labor Day weekend crowds in Monroe, urging Democrats to focus on the 2026 midterms rather than 2028. He accused Trump of ruthlessness, corruption and attempting to "nationalize" elections through mail-in voting restrictions, telling supporters it's time to "fight fire with fire." Newsom told the Associated Press a 2028 decision could come before year's end.

Voters and strategists increasingly frame California itself as Newsom's central liability, with critics warning his state's liberal image could hurt him against rivals like Josh Shapiro and Pete Buttigieg. Republicans, including North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley and local officials, mocked the visits with "Wrong Coast" signs and accused him of trying to "California" their states. Newsom's team counters that his progressive record on health care, wages and climate could be an asset in a Democratic primary. South Carolina, hosting Democrats' first 2028 primary, remains a key early proving ground alongside hopefuls like Cory Booker.