Democrats audition the AI backlash for 2028
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Democrats weighing 2028 presidential bids are piling onto the AI hate wave in their messaging, per an analysis shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Democrats are turning AI anxiety into a political rallying cry ahead of 2028, while Republicans remain divided over how to respond.
Driving the news: 2028 contenders including Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Jon Ossoff and more have all increased their AI commentary in recent months, per new research from Upswing, conducted on behalf of Reset Tech, a nonprofit advocating for tech regulation.
- Among 21 Democrats named as potential 2028 contenders, tech mentions on X nearly quadrupled, and press release mentions nearly tripled since the start of the year.
- Tech is now the second-most common topic in releases, trailing only jobs and the economy, with the highest concentration of mentions around data centers and phone bans in schools.
- To gather the data, Upswing analyzed nearly 30,000 X posts from 38 accounts associated with 21 potential presidential contenders and 3,868 press releases from 16 officeholders between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15.
Between the lines: Democrats are galvanizing around AI as a winning issue.
- Democrats are "taking a meaningful advantage" on AI after the topic was initially seen as a "jump ball" for both major political parties, Rishi Bharwani, U.S. director of Reset Tech, told Axios.
- AI regulation has gone from the back burner to a top issue over the last six months, he added.
- While the economy is still what matters most to voters, AI is increasingly part of the financial conversation as it dominates markets and the macroeconomic backdrop.
Zoom in: It's not just messaging.
- While data center bans have been proposed in Democratic- and Republican-majority states, New York is so far the only one to pass a moratorium.
- House Democrats drafted a resolution opposing government bailouts for AI companies if the so-called "bubble" bursts.
- There are also a variety of legislative proposals, including model transparency measures and kill switches.
Zoom out: This comes amid a groundswell of anti-AI sentiment among voters.
- Most Americans across the political spectrum take the risks of AI causing harm seriously, per a September YouGov poll of nearly 1,500 voters.
- Likely voters trust Democrats more than Republicans to respond to artificial intelligence, the poll said.
The other side: Republicans are caught between their base being concerned by AI and President Trump's unfettered embrace of the industry.
- Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump to varying degrees. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), for example, has been among the loudest about state-level regulation on the technology.
The bottom line: Democrats are coalescing around a more critical stance on AI, but whether it meaningfully impacts elections remains to be seen.
