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The Other Sam in the Valley

Rep. Sam Liccardo, whose tech mogul district includes Palo Alto and Atherton, believes Democrats should embrace A.I.—within reason. Between the White House’s tech right bromance and Congress’s comical tech illiteracy, is there space for the party to address the anxiety and opportunity of the platform shift before the world moves on without them?

Sam Liccardo
“We need, as Democrats, to acknowledge that the industry is not wrong about the fact that whoever wins the battle to dominate this technology will write the rules for the next century,” Sam Liccardo told Leigh Ann. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
March 22, 2026

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In many ways, Trump’s second inauguration created the perfect visual for Democrats both worried about A.I. and cognizant that the technological earthquake could become a potent wedge issue in 2028. After all, Trump had packed the front rows of his indoor coronation with Silicon Valley oligarchs and billionaires—Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai—who had thrown money at him and enjoyed lowered regulations in return.