AI and Political Divide
Research reveals AI exposure highest in Democratic counties, raising anxiety over jobs.
Workers in Democratic-leaning counties are the most exposed to AI chatbots in the United States, according to new research from Brookings Metro. Of the 100 counties with the highest AI exposure, 62 voted for the Democratic candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
The findings flip a familiar script. Past waves of automation hit Republican-leaning manufacturing towns hardest. Now, AI is targeting knowledge workers — lawyers, analysts, software developers — who are clustered in dense, Democratic-voting cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and New York.
Blue Counties Bear the Brunt of AI Disruption
The Brookings Metro study, authored by senior fellow Mark Muro and co-authors Todd R. Jones and Shriya Methkupally, maps AI exposure county by county. Unlike factory robots, AI targets "knowledge work" — jobs that involve data, writing, and analysis. Those jobs are packed into high-density urban areas that lean heavily Democratic.
Muro describes a "proximity paradox." Workers who use AI the most are also the most anxious about it. This is not the fear of someone unfamiliar with technology. These are people who understand exactly which parts of their job a chatbot could replace.
Democrats Far More Worried About Losing Their Jobs
A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania polled 1,330 U.S. adults between February and March 2026. It found that 41% of employed Americans worry about losing their job or having their hours cut because of AI. But the fear is not evenly split. Fifty percent of Democrats share that concern, compared to just 32% of Republicans.
The same survey found that only 17% of Americans think AI will have a positive impact on the country over the next decade. Forty-two percent expect it to be negative. On regulation, 65% say the government has done "too little" — including 77% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans.
AI Anxiety Could Shake Up the 2026 Midterms
Muro says that workers in blue counties are "potential flashpoints for AI-related economic anxiety heading into the midterm elections," according to Brookings Metro. Arizona and Georgia are flagged as high-exposure swing states. Even a small shift in voter mood in those states could change election outcomes.
Matt Levendusky, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that bipartisan worry about AI "offers real potential rewards to either party" if they can present a convincing plan to regulate it. Democrats are already moving that direction — 77% of Democratic voters say the government has not done enough.
Low-Exposure Red States Face a Very Different AI Future
While blue metros feel pressure from AI, many Republican-leaning states barely register on the exposure map. North Dakota, Wyoming, and Mississippi all sit at just 10-11% AI exposure, according to Brookings Metro. Researchers call this the "AI Divide" — a gap replacing the old "Digital Divide."
The economic stakes are high on both sides. The National Bureau of Economic Research projects AI could boost GDP growth to 4%, but also wipe out the equivalent of 10 million jobs by 2050. As of now, 21% of U.S. workers report using AI daily, up from 16% in 2024, according to Pew Research.
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