Data Center Opposition Tests AI Ambitions in Midterms

Voters in battleground states face higher electricity bills and strained water supplies as data centers expand to power artificial intelligence systems. Local resistance has turned the facilities into a campaign issue, with candidates in both parties running ads that tie opponents to rising utility costs and land use changes.

Gallup polling from March 2026 found 71 percent of Americans opposed new data centers near their homes, citing electricity and water consumption along with environmental effects. An Annenberg Public Policy Center survey showed opposition to local projects rose 12 points from February to summer. These figures align with ads in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that blame data centers for higher rates or accuse incumbents of favoring tax breaks for the projects.

President Trump has urged governors to accept the facilities, noting construction jobs and tax revenue while signing an executive order in July to speed permitting. He described the industry as potentially larger than the internet and called for regulation that preserves U.S. leadership. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., echoed that view on social media, writing that "AI supremacy and energy dominance underpins our national security" and that China benefits from U.S. "overreaction" to data-center concerns. He labeled a proposed moratorium "China First."

Republican candidates have adjusted. In Michigan, Senate hopeful Mike Rogers backed a one-year pause. Florida gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds spent more than $2 million on an ad pledging to protect the state from rate increases. Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany shifted from calling the technology "exciting" to seeking repeal of tax incentives. Democratic challengers including Sherrod Brown in Ohio and James Talarico in Texas have made the issue central to their messaging.

Governors have responded with new rules. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order for what he termed the "strictest guardrails in the nation." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the utility commission to audit pending permits and ended some tax incentives. The National Republican Senatorial Committee warned in an internal memo that data-center politics threatened Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio.

Separate surveillance concerns have surfaced. Axios reported Democratic candidates attacking opponents over Flock license-plate cameras, with Sen. Bernie Sanders posting against mass AI surveillance. No independent data yet measures how these positions have shifted vote margins or fundraising totals in the cited races.