Data center backlash becomes bipartisan campaign issue ahead of 2026 midterms

Sep 2, 2026

The rapid expansion of AI data centers has emerged as a major bipartisan issue ahead of the 2026 midterms, driving over $45 million in campaign ad spending. While President Donald Trump champions the facilities as economic engines, local communities are pushing back over soaring land values, grid strain, and rising utility costs. This populist backlash has prompted prominent Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to break from Trump and propose strict new regulations.

Data center opposition polling

▪An Economist/YouGov poll conducted August 21-24, 2026, found that 47 percent of Donald Trump voters opposed having a new data center built in their community, while 35 percent supported it.
▪An August 2026 poll by the Texas Politics Project found that only 30 percent of respondents would support a data center in their community.
▪A March 2026 Gallup poll found that 7 in 10 Americans opposed building a data center in their local area.

Republican candidates break from Trump

▪Republican candidates in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have adopted tougher rhetoric or proposed restrictions on data centers, creating a policy split with President Donald Trump.
▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott has broken from President Donald Trump's pro-AI agenda by calling for new restrictions on data centers, the repeal of construction tax incentives, and a state audit that paused grid connections.
▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has hardened his stance on AI data centers, proposing a plan to stop their negative impacts while running for Senate against Democrat James Talarico.

Rural farmland acquisition

▪In Salem Township, Pennsylvania, nearly 100 families sold more than 1,700 acres of land to a data center developer in 2026 for a combined $586 million.
▪U.S. land purchases for future data centers reached approximately $6 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a 79 percent increase from the previous year.

Electricity cost concerns

▪The U.S. Department of Energy projects that data center power demand will rise from 4.4 percent of U.S. electricity in 2023 to between 6.7 percent and 12 percent by 2028.
▪New York Governor Kathy Hochul approved a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers in July 2026 to study their impact on utility costs and natural resources.
▪A May 2026 report by Monitoring Analytics stated that data center load growth is the primary reason for high capacity prices within the PJM wholesale electricity transmission market.

Campaign advertising spending

▪Georgia's gubernatorial race has seen the highest concentration of data center-related ad spending, totaling $12.8 million across nine advertisements.
▪From January to August 2026, political ad spending mentioning data centers was nearly identical between the parties, with over $22 million supporting Republicans and over $21 million supporting Democrats.
▪Political campaigns and outside groups have spent more than $45 million on political advertisements mentioning data centers in 2026 gubernatorial, House, and Senate races.