28: Primaries, Fake Polls, and the Data Center Revolt

It's another primary night, and Erin and Kurt break down the results out of Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming, plus the political story nobody was talking about three months ago: data centers becoming the defining kitchen-table issue of the 2026 midterms. In Florida, they dig into Corey Mills' vulnerable seat, the Moskowitz-Larkin DSA showdown, and a graveyard of comeback bids from politicians who've lost everywhere else. In Alaska, it's officially "Dan versus Dan," as Senator Dan Sullivan faces a primary challenger who shares his name and a very different voting history, while Mary Peltola tries to prove she's worth national Democratic investment. Then Erin and Kurt turn to the Karen Bass campaign's fake-poll scandal and what it says about a media ecosystem too eager to run numbers nobody bothered to vet. Finally, they dive deep on data centers and AI, arguing it may be the rare issue that unites voters across party lines in opposition, and lay out why campaigns on both sides are scrambling to write anti-data-center ads before Election Day. Topics Primary night results and previews: Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming Florida's most-watched congressional races: Corey Mills' vulnerable seat and Debbie Wasserman Schultz's new district The Moskowitz vs. Larkin race and what it means for the DSA's ceiling in Florida Florida's parade of political comeback bids, including Chris Collins Alaska's "Dan versus Dan" Senate primary and Mary Peltola's path to November Whether Alaska is a legitimate reach race for Democrats or a resource drain The Kamala Harris fundraising email controversy and Peltola's campaign shake-up The Karen Bass fake-poll scandal and what it reveals about unvetted campaign polling Why reporters keep running campaign polls without demanding full cross-tabs How campaigns use internal polling strategically, and what they leave out Data centers and AI emerging as a rare bipartisan "not in my backyard" issue Why utility bills, water use, and lack of visible benefit are driving the backlash Governor Abbott and Governor Shapiro's reversals on data center policy How data centers could be a net positive with smart regulatory frameworks The messaging failure of AI and data center companies compared to crypto Predictions for how many 2026 statewide races will feature anti-data-center ads