
An overview of the 2026 midterm election landscape, focusing on data center politics, energy policy, and campaign funding.
The 2026 US midterm elections are shaped by intense debates over data center expansion, solar energy politics, and significant campaign spending by groups like America PAC, while candidates face scrutiny over election integrity and international conflicts.
AI-generated summary
The 2026 midterm elections are seeing increased focus on the environmental and political impact of data centers and the influence of large-scale campaign funding.
These Midterm Races Will Decide Data Centers’ Political Fate
From the Senate to governors’ mansions, candidates are trying to outcompete each other to be the most anti–data center in races across the US.
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
WIRED’s Midterms Races to Watch
From data centers to Elon Musk funding to the AI lobby, the 2026 midterms are the most WIRED elections yet. These are the candidates we're following closely.
The Politics of Solar Energy Are Getting Weird, Mean, and a Little MAGA
A mysterious super PAC that doubles as a pro-solar-energy outfit is funding some of the most knives-out attack ads of the midterms season.
Europe Wants Data Centers. Its Climate Goals Are Getting in the Way
A plan to funnel the heat given off by data centers into nearby homes has run aground in Germany. Across Europe, policymakers are weighing AI ambitions against climate objectives.
Data Centers Have a New PR Plan: Your Kid’s Field Trip
Amid a wave of backlash, some industry-friendly groups are employing creative and time-tested strategies to woo the youth.
Massive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the Polls
From heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.
Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections
America PAC’s approach has been unusual: for every dollar it has spent supporting GOP Senate candidates, it has spent almost three dollars attacking Democrats.
The Iran War’s Impact on Oil Is Hitting Key Senate Races Hard
Democrats are using the high price of diesel, heating oil, and fertilizer to tie Republicans to President Donald Trump’s unpopular, costly war in Iran.
What the US Movement Against Data Centers Can Learn From Everywhere Else
Paris Marx, author of Hyperscale, has been tracking global data center development for years. The US has a lot to learn from what’s happened everywhere from Ireland to New Zealand.
Senators Demand to Know if Dr. Oz Collaborated With Election Denial Groups
A far-right campaign claiming leftists are stealing votes from nursing home residents has centered on changing guidance from Mehmet Oz’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Donald Trump has publicly condemned former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon for a $50 million contract she signed with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whom Trump pardoned shortly after she began working for the family while employed by the DOJ.

Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in Delhi to protest against the removal of 130 million names from India's voter roll. The Congress-led alliance accuses the BJP government of manipulating the process, while the BJP dismisses the rally as a conspiracy.

Israel's October 27 legislative elections resulted in a hung parliament, with neither Benjamin Netanyahu's pro-coalition nor the opposition bloc securing the 61 seats required to form a government, leading to potential weeks of political negotiations.

More than 50 million Americans have cast early ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, according to the University of Florida. Early voting participation has increased significantly compared to 2022, with Democrats currently outpacing Republicans in early turnout.

Mark Jones, a former Liberal moderate, is now managing candidate selection and vetting for One Nation in NSW and Victoria. Jones, who joined the party in February, has overhauled recruitment processes while the party faces internal criticism over candidate quality.

The Michigan US Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is a high-stakes contest drawing international attention, focusing on progressive policy, the conflict in Gaza, and the potential for the first Muslim US senator.