A Blue Horizon Project article states that Democratic campaign ads in the final stages of the US midterm elections primarily revolved around healthcare, the cost of living, and taxes, rather than a blanket opposition to the tech industry. According to AdImpact data, in the week ending September 27th, in closely contested congressional districts, Democratic ads related to artificial intelligence aired only 523 times, while ads related to healthcare, special interests, and taxes aired approximately 15,000, 11,200, and 10,200 times, respectively. Data centers were an exception: in 5 of the 21 closely contested House districts, data centers were listed as one of the top three issues in Democratic ad spending. Of these, ads related to taxes or energy costs totaled $69.76 million, accounting for 76.2% of total data center-related ad spending; ads supporting a halt, ban, or cessation of new data center construction spent less than $2.5 million. The author argues that Democratic candidates primarily linked data centers to developer tax breaks and rising electricity prices, rather than advocating for a complete ban on construction. He pointed out that the Democratic Party's performance in the midterm elections should not be simply interpreted as a general dislike of the technology industry among voters. The core appeals conveyed by the campaign ads are still to reduce the cost of living, improve healthcare, and reduce the transfer of special benefits.
