Data center backlash poised to play critical role in midterms: We dont even need data centers

Big Tech has failed to win over Americans on its rapid build-out of data centers – and souring public opinion on the power-hungry sites could play a critical role in midterm elections across the country.People would rather see a nuclear power plant built in their neighborhood than a data center, a May Gallup poll found, with a whopping 71% of Americans opposed to the latter.In comparison, 53% opposed new nuclear energy plants.This new form of NIMBYism is taking hold on both ends of the political spectrum, and the share of voters who oppose data center construction is growing, according to a July survey conducted by independent polling group Public First. In January, people who said they voted for Democratic Kamala Harris for president in 2024 were split on the issue, with 36% saying they would support a data center being built within three miles of their home and 33% saying they would not.

By July, 53% of Harris voters opposed a data center site, while just 22% said they would support it.Even among those who voted for Republican President Trump — who has praised the rapid rise of AI for drawing billions of dollars in infrastructure investment and potentially creating swaths of jobs — 33% said they would oppose a data center, up from 26% in July.The share who said they would support a data center project dropped nine percentage points to 34%.Increasingly negative opinions of the emerging tech could play a pivotal role in elections around the nation, as more than 200 data centers are being built in dozens of competitive House districts, according to a recent Politico analysis.Politicians on both sides of the aisle are eager to separate themselves from the controversial centers as their seats are up for grabs this fall – but many are unsure just how far to go in their efforts to limit new construction.Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, recently signed an executive order restricting data center development i...