The political battle spans multiple regions and levels of government. In Ohio, Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown spent $2.4 million in advertising to brand GOP Sen. Jon Husted as the “face of data centers,” according to The Washington Times.
In Texas, political ads begin with someone typing into a chatbot asking “Why is my electric bill going up?” in reference to data centers. Democratic challengers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are running ads against data centers. In Wisconsin, GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany is running ads attacking his Democratic opponent as “data center David Crowley.”
Most congressional candidates in Florida’s Republican-leaning 16th District are opposed to a controversial data center proposed within the district. In suburban Missouri, both leading GOP candidates for a county executive seat spent their entire TV ad budgets vowing to stop data centers, and they accused each other of being beholden to developers over the issue.
Bottom Line
Candidates from both parties at the state and local level are increasingly running against data centers, citing rising electricity bills, land use concerns, and corporate favoritism. With less than three months until the midterm elections, opposition to AI data centers is becoming a bipartisan rallying cry in a growing number of states.
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