Data Center Backlash Reshapes Midterm Campaigns Nationwide

Voter frustration with the sprawling facilities powering America’s artificial intelligence boom has exploded into one of the defining issues of the 2026 midterm elections, with both parties pouring tens of millions of dollars into campaign ads targeting data centers. An NPR analysis of political advertising data from AdImpact found that campaigns and outside groups have spent more than $45 million since January on ads mentioning data centers in gubernatorial, House, and Senate races.

The spending reflects a rare moment of bipartisan political convergence. From January to August, over $22 million in data center ads supported Republican candidates while more than $21 million backed Democrats. Yet Democrats ran nearly twice as many ads — 127 compared to 67 — spreading their messaging across more states and races. Mentions of data centers in political ads have surged from just a handful in January to about 164 in August as the November election approaches.

A Rare Issue Where MAGA and Liberal Voters Agree

The political calculus is simple: data centers are deeply unpopular. A Gallup poll from earlier this year found 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area, with nearly half strongly opposed. A NBC News Decision Desk survey conducted between Aug. 20 and Sept. 1 found 69% of respondents oppose AI data center construction in their local area, including 45% who “strongly oppose.” Even among Republicans — the party most supportive of data centers — 57% oppose them locally.

“Data centers are a unique issue where MAGA Republicans and liberal Democrats land in the same place,” said Michael Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political advertising. Franz noted that the issue gives each party the talking points it wants: “Democrats can latch on to environmental concerns,” while for Republicans, criticizing data centers is a way “to go in opposition to big corporations, in opposition to a system that doesn’t care about you.”

Both parties are largely making the same argument in their ads: data centers receive too many tax breaks, drive up electricity bills, and need reining in. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from June found that 77% of Americans are concerned about data centers raising electricity costs.

Georgia and Ohio: Ground Zero for the Fight

The issue has become particularly potent in states with competitive races. Georgia has captured about 30% of total spending on data center ads, with its governor’s race alone spending $12.8 million across nine ads. More than half of the GOP’s spending on data center ads has been in the state.

In Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, supporters of Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown have spent millions describing Republican Sen. Jon Husted as “the face of data centers in Ohio,” accusing him of “giving corporations over $2.5 billion in out of control tax breaks.” Husted championed data centers as Ohio’s lieutenant governor but has since introduced legislation to protect ratepayers.

Republicans are acutely aware of the danger. An internal memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee obtained by NPR and first reported by Axios called data centers a “sleeper issue for the entire election cycle” and warned that “more than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck.” The memo, as reported by Signal Ohio, closed with an ominous warning to the tech industry: “If Husted loses because of data centers, the industry will be blamed, and elected officials or other parties will learn a cautionary lesson.”

Governors Caught in the Crossfire

Because the federal government plays little role in permitting data center construction, gubernatorial races have become the primary battleground. Gubernatorial contests spent about $32 million on data center ads, compared to $8 million in House races and roughly $5.3 million in Senate races.

“The federal government doesn’t really play a role in permitting the construction of new data centers,” said Darrell M. West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation. “Governors are under a lot of pressure to slow the construction of new data centers just based on public opposition to them.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who once led a push to fast-track data center permits and celebrated a $20 billion Amazon project, has made a conspicuous about-face. In August, he signed an executive order mandating developers obtain local approval before state environmental review, calling some data center developers “predatory” and “greedy.” His Republican opponent, Stacy Garrity, has gone further, calling for a temporary moratorium on all data center development.

The shift has been dramatic across the political spectrum. In Pennsylvania, Spotlight PA reported that data centers feature in at least 20 competitive legislative races. “I don’t believe I’ve seen an issue have such a meteoric rise in saliency as this issue,” said Chris Borick, a political scientist at Lehigh University. “It’s been an issue that is redefining politics and campaigns in the state and country.”

A Quinnipiac University poll from July found nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania voters would oppose an AI data center in their community, and only 24% approve of Shapiro’s handling of data centers.

Trump Stands Apart

The Republican turn against data centers is striking because the party has traditionally positioned itself as pro-business. But it puts the GOP at odds with President Trump, who has urged states to keep building data centers while acknowledging they could “use a little public relations help.”

“Trump seems oblivious to public opinion on a number of fronts,” said West. “Typically, when the public shifts, politicians shift with them. Trump is not doing that on data centers.”

In an Aug. 31 Truth Social post, Trump wrote that communities opposing data centers would end up “backwards and poor,” adding: “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.” He reiterated his support in the Oval Office on Sept. 4, telling reporters that communities that reject data centers would face “poverty, crime and squalor.”

A Local Issue With National Consequences

The data center backlash has already produced tangible political consequences. In Festus, Mo., four city council members lost their seats over support of a $6 billion data center. In rural North Carolina, a veteran unseated a four-term incumbent after threatening to “primary” commissioners who approved a data center near his home. Maine’s Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a pause on most data center construction — the strongest state-level action to date.

Candidates across the country are racing to position themselves against the industry. In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has called for tighter regulations and an end to “sweetheart tax deals,” as reported by the Texas Tribune. In Wisconsin, Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley’s ads promise to “stop AI data centers from making your energy bills skyrocket.” In Florida, Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds vows to “protect Florida families and communities from data centers that jack up utility rates.”

Amanda Litman, founder of Run For Something, which works with Democrats running for state and local office, says the anxiety is visceral and universal. “We’re hearing it from urban, from rural, from suburban,” she said. “We’re hearing it in red states, blue states, purple states. It’s all kinds of communities, which I think is really speaking to how visceral people feel this is coming for them.”

What to Watch

With the November midterms less than two months away, the data center issue shows no signs of fading. The NRSC memo explicitly warned the tech industry that it needs to address its “toxic brand” or face political consequences. Several states are considering eliminating data center tax incentives, and both parties are converging on requiring data centers to pay for their own energy infrastructure.

As NPR reported, the issue has become a litmus test for candidates in both parties. Whether data center opposition actually drives turnout in November remains an open question, but one thing is clear: the AI infrastructure boom has collided with American politics in ways few anticipated — and neither party can afford to ignore it.