Congress Divided Over AI Policies Ahead of Elections

Newsweek’s AI Policy Scorecard indicates that Congress is split on artificial intelligence, not strictly along party lines. The upcoming election on November 10 will be a crucial test to see if AI-related issues are reshaping political alignments.

On November 10, Newsweek will host an event titled “Midterms Review: How AI Policy Shaped the 2026 Elections.” This live webinar aims to analyze the election results and revisit the findings of the AI Policy Scorecard. The project reviewed public records of all 537 members of Congress across five key areas: Regulation & Governance, Data Centers & Energy, Jobs & Economy, Safety & Privacy, and National Security & China.

The scorecard provides a baseline for pre-election discussions, highlighting that concerns around AI do not align with conventional party divisions. Scores range from AI Skeptic (1) to AI Booster (5). Democrats average a score of 2.60, indicating a Lean Skeptic stance, while Republicans average 3.26, suggesting a Lean Booster position. A relatively small number of lawmakers fall at either extreme: 18 are rated AI Skeptic, and 10 are AI Booster. An additional 191 fall into the Mixed category, near the midpoint, with nine Democrats classified as Lean Booster and 25 Republicans as Lean Skeptic.

Stanford Law School professor Nathaniel Persily notes that AI policy is not yet showing the usual polarized political dynamics seen in other issues. Persily will join Brent Buchanan, CEO of Cygnal, a Republican survey research firm, and Nick Penniman, CEO of Issue One, a crosspartisan political reform group.

One area where there is a clearer divide is data centers. Republicans score an average of 3.5, while Democrats score 1.9, even as opposition to new facilities spans both parties. Buchanan revealed that data centers have become a way for voters to determine which interests candidates serve, surfacing as an issue in focus groups.

The role of money and influence is also significant. Issue One discovered that 11 major technology and AI companies and trade associations spent $41.8 million lobbying the federal government in the first half of 2026. Additionally, more than $27 million was directed towards New York’s 12th District Democratic primary by groups connected to OpenAI and Anthropic.

Post-election, the panel will analyze how AI was addressed in campaigns and what the election outcomes indicate about political coalitions forming around technology. The discussion will also explore implications for lobbying, advocacy, and political spending.

Gabriel Snyder, Newsweek’s executive editor of enterprise, will moderate the one-hour live discussion on Tuesday, November 10, at 2 p.m. ET. Interested individuals can register for the webinar using the link provided.