Texas added $1 to every car insurance policy to fight catalytic converter theft. A board Abbott appoints spent at least $30 million of it on AI cameras that log where Texans drive. Abbott stopped it Thursday night — the night before the Tribune published.
An AI super PAC that raised $125 million exists to stop states and cities from enforcing their own AI rules. One of these Republicans wrote the bill that does the preempting, one was promised $850,000 in a race he had already won, two were buying the stock, and one was carried by $2.35 million in outside money.
The EPA plans to eliminate the federal requirement that states notify the public and take comment when industrial air-pollution permits are filed. It has also proposed letting developers start building data centers before permits are approved.
In May 2025, 215 House Republicans voted for a ten-year ban on states and towns enforcing any law that limits AI — data centers included. Four of the fourteen named here voted for it four separate times. Now they are campaigning on letting your town decide.
Abbott paused data center approvals in August of an election year and said Texas needed more information first. State regulators approved the schedule this week: the report lands December 10. Election Day is November 3.
Someone has to pay to power the AI build-out. In Texas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia and New Mexico, these five Republicans have spent the last few years making sure it's you.
Abbott courted data centers and let their tax break balloon for eleven years. In August of an election year he announced a pause — and lifelong Republicans in small towns say they can see exactly what it is. His approval with rural voters has fallen 15 points, and he's now one point ahead of a Democrat.
A year ago Americans were split on AI data centers. Now 75% oppose one in their area. These eight Republicans spent that year helping the build-out along, taking the industry's money, or both. Five have spent the last few weeks repositioning. Three are still making the industry's case.
Barrett is running as a data center fighter. Since then he voted for the tax breaks that handed six companies $83 billion, voted for a ten-year ban on states regulating AI, backed a bill weakening environmental reviews, and took money from Musk, Thiel, Blackstone's CEO and the corporate PACs of Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Oracle.
