People vote in the primary election at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Nic Antaya) Across the United States, political candidates are grappling with an issue that has never before featured widely in American political life: artificial intelligence.You can see it in candidates of both major parties trying to one-up each other with crackdowns on data centers.Incumbents fighting to survive in toss-up districts racing to display their takes on AI and national security.And progressive Democrats stress testing voter messaging about job-destroying automation.Hundreds of candidates for House, Senate or governor this year have staked out policies related…