Populist opposition to massive data centers fueling the artificial intelligence boom is scrambling the 2026 midterms, cutting across ideological lines.
Americans from urban cores to rural outskirts are objecting to these facilities, which house the servers and networking equipment used for AI and other digital services.
A Gallup survey released earlier this year found roughly 71% of U.S. adults oppose building them in their area, with barely one-quarter favoring the projects. That opposition is spurring a noticeable pivot from elected leaders.
Chief among them is Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who issued new directives ending certain tax incentives, curtailing water and energy consumption, and requiring tech companies to help lower electricity costs.
The order will temporarily halt about 1,800 data center developments in Texas.
“I established guidelines (and) guardrails to protect Texas communities,” Abbott said in an August post on X. “These guidelines are now the universally applied standard in Texas.”
Abbott’s shift came less than a year after the governor praised Google’s $40 billion data center investment in the state, saying it would make Texas an “epicenter of AI development.”
The change in tone also coincided with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa criticizing Abbott for letting tech companies into the state with little oversight.
“I’m calling on Greg Abbott to issue a moratorium on any new data centers with an emergency executive order to do so,” Hinojosa, a state lawmaker, said during a virtual press conference in July.
“He has the sole power to do it,” she added. “That moratorium should stand until the legislature can convene and make sure any data center being built is done so by American union labor that is licensed. We also want local control of the work.”
Swing-State Candidates Rethink Data Center Support
Across the country, data center critics have expressed fury at public officials about the strain on water and electricity resources, as well as disruption to communities through noise and pollution.
Gallup polling found that the effect on resources was the leading reason for opposition, with 50% of respondents mentioning environmental concerns.
Opposition cuts across every major demographic, including party affiliation. Democrats were 56% strongly opposed, compared with 39% of Republicans and 48% of independents, Gallup found.
That has spurred a sprint by Democratic and Republican candidates running this year who appear to be recalibrating their positions as states and local governments rush to create new rules and regulations.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Aug. 18 requiring local approval before any state grants are awarded to data center developers.
He had previously described the facilities as a major economic project that would “lead on innovation” in May.
“I’m putting these developers on notice and letting them know that we will not let them bully Pennsylvanians, disregard our constitutional right to clean air and pure water, and drive up our utility bills,” Shapiro said in a post on X.
In the Wisconsin governor’s race, Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany are both looking to leverage the controversial construction boom against their opponent.
Tiffany ran seven figures’ worth of ads describing his rival as “Data Center David Crowley.” During the Democratic primary, Crowley’s opponent, state Rep. Francesca Hong, was the only candidate who called for a moratorium on new data center construction in the state.
In response to the GOP attacks, Crowley highlighted Tiffany’s congressional voting record, which sought to make it easier to build projects such as data centers. Both oppose statewide moratoriums but say they want stricter regulations.
Trump and GOP Strategists Take Different Positions
President Donald Trump defended data center construction as a “cash cow” for states that embrace it.
“All of this income, and other benefits, will be going to red states, and some blue, where data centers are sought as cash cows, with lower taxes and record-setting jobs,” Trump wrote in a July 15 Truth Social post.
Industry leaders similarly tout the technology’s economic benefits. About two-thirds of those who support data centers cite local economic benefits, according to Gallup.
But Trump’s support is at odds with advice GOP candidates seeking election this year are receiving.
In an Aug. 18 memo, the National Republican Senatorial Committee noted that the backlash was hurting incumbent Jon Husted of Ohio in his bid against former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
“More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck,” the memo said.
Brown, who once applauded an Amazon data center, released a 30-second ad claiming Husted “force fed” the facilities in Ohio, which is home to more than 200 existing or in-development data centers, according to Data Center Map.
As lieutenant governor, Husted championed data center projects and called Ohio the “tech capital of the Midwest.” Now he contends data centers should be a local decision and has introduced federal legislation intended to ensure companies pay for their electricity.
Republican strategists said data centers have become an effective messaging strategy for Democrats.
“The companies that need these projects built have to fix how Ohioans see them: who benefits, who pays, and why a community should want one,” the NRSC memo said. “Until that happens, the issue will continue to dominate this race.”
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Kristian Jaime, Molly Beck and Haley BeMiller. Reporting by Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.