Anthropic PBC’s initial public offering faces a political test on Nov. 3, when U.S. midterm elections could upend the political status quo that has been broadly supportive of developing artificial intelligence at a breakneck pace. Victories for AI-skeptic Democrats in one or both houses of Congress, as well as in key governor’s races, would likely increase pressure on AI labs, particularly over the rapid rollout of data centers, while Republicans have broadly stuck closer to President Trump’s support for the technology. Little is expected to change before the IPO prices and the stock starts trading, but Anthropic is seeking to raise as much or more than SpaceX did in its record-setting $86.2-billion debut. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the withholding of permits for new data centers until an audit of risks to the power grid is complete, asserting that “Texans come first,” while Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa characterized his move as an “election year stunt.” Anthropic has deals for multiple facilities in the state, including its $50-billion partnership with Fluidstack Ltd., a $35-billion pact with Lambda for a data center in Nueces County and a $9.1-billion agreement with Riot Platforms Inc. for a campus in Rockdale. Banks are delaying plans to offload part of a $15-billion loan to fund a project being developed by Nexus Data Centers, Bloomberg News reported. In New York, Gov