Axios

In-person early voting turnout surpassed 2018 levels in four of Texas' five largest counties ahead of Tuesday's closely watched election.

Why it matters: The figures don't indicate which candidates are benefiting, but suggest voter enthusiasm is rivaling or surpassing that seen during the 2018 Senate race, when Republican Ted Cruz narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

The fight over data centers is national, but midterm ad spending shows the political backlash is concentrated in particular states and regions — especially the Rust Belt.

Why it matters: AI and data centers are set to become even more front-and-center in 2028. The geography of today's backlash could help shape the battlegrounds of the next presidential election.

Unions are facing a conundrum: They like the demand for data center construction because it brings trade work, but they don't like that AI might replace other jobs.

Why it matters: The mixed feelings have led to a split in Big Labor: Trade unions back data centers, while groups like the Teamsters advocate policies to restrict AI.

A powerful backlash against AI and data centers has been building for months, fueling local moratoriums and political opposition, but also fears that the $10 trillion infrastructure buildout could hit a wall.

Why it matters: The stakes extend far beyond the U.S. Any backlash that slows the AI boom could have global consequences, with the futures of politicians, economies and nations increasingly tied to the race for technological supremacy.

Communities across the U.S. courting data centers face an economic bargain: billions in private investment and potentially lucrative tax revenue, alongside mounting public backlash.

Case in point: New Albany, Ohio, a 22-square-mile Columbus suburb, has spent more than a decade welcoming data centers. Today, it has roughly 40 facilities operated by Meta, Google, Amazon and others.

Billions of dollars in planned data center construction hang in the balance as the midterms approach — and investors are closely watching a few key races in states where projects are planned but construction has not yet started.

Why it matters: If elections don't go Wall Street's way, you could see restrictions that disrupt key projects and, more broadly, rattle the AI trade currently driving the stock market and helping power the U.S. economy.

Technology has become a defining issue in the 2026 midterms — and AI data centers are the punching bag.

Why it matters: It's not just about noise pollution and curb appeal. Data centers have become a lightning rod for growing resentment over who gets rich from the AI boom and who bears the cost.

The youth vote emerged as a coveted voting bloc in the 2024 election, with the Trump campaign making inroads and seizing on manosphere cultural stars to connect with young Americans. Two years later, polling shows that momentum slowed or reversing.

Driving the news: President Trump is cited as the biggest threat facing America today, by college-educated 18-to-29-year-olds in a new Generation Lab poll for Axios. He took the top spot (33%), above cost of living and income inequality (25%), political extremism (16%), government spending (5%), and climate change, AI and immigration/border concerns (each 4%).

A federal judge Friday blocked the Trump administration from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution for counting ballots cast by registered voters the administration claims are ineligible.

Why it matters: The emergency order, issued four days before the midterms, prohibits federal pressure to sideline ballots based solely on allegations of ineligibility and forces the Justice Department to walk back threats it already sent to election officials.

The Justice Department is investigating the Arizona voter registration efforts of three Democratic-aligned groups after an "undercover" video purported to show volunteers willing to register non-citizens.

Why it matters: The Friday announcement comes four days before the Nov. 3 election, and nearly a month after Arizona's registration deadline passed, timing one Republican former elections official says could sow unnecessary doubt about the results.