Unlike the deep partisan divides grinding Congress to a halt, Democrats and Republicans at the state level are coming together on some of the most significant issues of the 2026 legislative season.
Legislators in most states want to regulate artificial intelligence and curb the sprawling, electricity-hungry data centers that make AI possible in the first place.
Big tech has "scrambled the typical ideological alignments of the left and the right," says David Primo, a professor of political science and business administration at the University of Rochester in New York. "Conservatives and liberals are saying, 'Well, here's an opportunity for us to stop what we think is a problem.'"
And while the two parties remain far apart on many issues — like tax policy, Primo says — it's not just big tech that has Republicans and Democrats aligned.
Regulating artificial intelligence
Ron DeSantis of Florida and Kathy Hochul of New York, two governors on opposite sides of the political spectrum, sound a lot alike when it comes to reining in AI.
DeSantis, a Republican, is backing legislation in Florida called the Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights. The proposal, working its way through the state Senate, makes it illegal to use a person's name, image or likeness without their consent, requires anyone under 18 to have parental permission to engage with companion chatbots and mandates that bots remind users they're not talking to humans.
"I really fear that if this is not addressed in an intelligent and proper way, you know, it could set off an age of darkness and deceit," DeSantis said when proposing the bill package. Tech companies have to be regulated, he says, because they have prioritized profits over user safety.
New York already requires chatbots to identify themselves as non-humans. This year, Hochul is pushing to further limit them. She wants to ban chatbots within social media apps for kids under 18. Other proposals would limit the way bots can interact with young people.
"We're going to disable certain companion features. You've heard about these, right?" she asked an audience gathered at her high school alma mater earlier this year.
"Under our proposals, we're removing that burden from parents and placing the responsibility where it belongs — on the shoulders of the app companies and the platforms themselves."
Late last year, Trump issued an executive order trying to prevent states from regulating AI on their own. But Republicans and Democrats in states are pressing ahead anyway. Nearly every state has a proposal to regulate AI. They range from requiring humans to oversee AI decisions about employees to blocking AI surveillance that could be used to set different prices for consumers.
Data center pushback
As the public's appetite for AI grows, so does the need for more data centers to handle the massive computing demands. That's a concern in states because data centers require substantial amounts of electricity and water to operate.
In Florida, lawmakers are raising issues about effects on the power grid and water use, and the possibility of passing higher utility costs along to residents, which the Republican-led state Senate is working to address. DeSantis says he thinks many of the arguments in favor of data centers, such as the idea that they'll drive job creation or lower property tax rates, are largely overblown.
South Dakota wants to make sure the state can't overrule local governments when it comes to regulating data centers. Oklahoma is also considering bills to limit the impact of data center growth.
As with the AI debate, Trump and most states have found themselves on opposite sides of the data center fight, too. Trump has largely been supportive of their growth, but says tech companies have to pay their own way. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the president said, "We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs; they can build their own power plants as part of their factory." His administration wants to require tech companies building new centers to pay more for electricity to control price increases affecting consumers.
Democratic lawmakers in New York and Maine are proposing a temporary ban on data centers, as are Republicans in Oklahoma.
The bill in New York is fairly new, but Hochul has announced the state's Public Service Commission will take a close look at the issue to ensure that data centers are "paying their fair share."
In Colorado, a proposal would require data centers to use renewable energy for their operations. And many states, led by Republicans and Democrats alike, are considering expanding nuclear energy to help power AI.
Tech companies are opposing many of these proposals and putting money into political campaigns. They say it would be impossible to follow different laws in each state and that regulations could stifle innovation that could benefit the public.
Housing
Nationwide, the rising cost of housing is also a concern for both parties. In Florida, a bill to loosen restrictions on accessory dwelling units received full bipartisan support in the state Senate. DeSantis wants to address the affordable housing crisis by cutting property taxes. That isn't sitting well with Democrats in the state who say they worry about the impact on local governments. They say decreasing property insurance rates would be a better path.
Lawmakers in New York and other states are trying to streamline environmental regulations. Dozens of states are considering proposals to cut building regulations, strengthen tenants' rights and improve conditions in rental housing. In other words, when it comes to housing, lawmakers across the political spectrum are embracing ideas usually popular with one party or the other.
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