The midterm races to watch if you care about money, Musk, and the AI boom
AI, tech, and data centers are shaping key 2026 midterm races in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Here are the eight races to watch.
The 2026 midterm elections will focus on several key races, including those in Ohio, Texas, Michigan, and Michigan's 7th District. In Ohio, Republican Senator Jon Husted is battling Democrat Sherrod Brown for control of Vice President JD Vance's Senate seat. Husted has faced criticism for his previous support of data center development, while Brown has criticized Husted's stance on tax incentives for new data centers.
Texas Senate race is between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, with billionaire Elon Musk donating millions to support Paxton. In Michigan, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed has called for government equity stakes in AI companies and has opposed tech giants divesting from AI companies. Republican Mike Rogers has called for a pause on data center development in the state.
In Michigan's 7th District, Republican Tom Barrett is facing a challenge from Sunrise Movement cofounder William Lawrence, who has tied Barrett to a proposed hyperscale data center.
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