Democrats and Republicans agree on almost nothing this campaign season — except one thing: the sprawling AI data centers popping up across America have become the enemy. From Georgia to Iowa, candidates on both sides are running the same playbook, and voters are cheering them on.
A modern data center packed with servers powering the AI boom. Photo: Unsplash (royalty-free).
It is not often that MAGA Republicans and progressive Democrats end up on the same page. But the explosive growth of AI data centers — the warehouse-sized buildings that power everything from chatbots to cloud storage — has done exactly that heading into the 2026 midterms. The reason is simple: the facilities are unpopular with voters almost everywhere they are built.
The context matters. The artificial intelligence race has triggered a construction spree unlike anything the tech industry has seen in a decade. Companies are racing to build the computing capacity that large AI models demand, and each new campus can consume as much electricity as a small city. For the towns hosting them, the trade-off increasingly feels lopsided: national headlines about innovation on one side, and higher power bills, noise, water use, and traffic on the other.
A $45 million bipartisan pile-on
An NPR analysis of political advertising data from the firm AdImpact found that since January, campaigns and outside groups have spent more than $45 million on ads mentioning data centers in this year's gubernatorial, House and Senate races. Remarkably, the money split almost evenly down party lines.
- Over $22 million backed Republican candidates.
- More than $21 million supported Democrats, with independents driving the rest.
- Democrats ran nearly twice as many ads — 127 to the GOP's 67 — spread across more states.
The volume has surged as election day nears. Mentions of data centers grew from a handful of ads in January to 62 in June, more than 110 in July, and roughly 164 in August. The ads cluster in states with tight races, including Wisconsin and Michigan.
Why voters are so angry about electricity bills
The core grievance is affordability. As data centers multiply to feed the artificial intelligence boom, they draw enormous amounts of power — and residents fear the cost lands on their monthly bills.
A June Reuters/Ipsos poll captured the mood: 77% of Americans said they were concerned about data centers raising electricity costs. Two-thirds of Democrats and half of Republicans said they would oppose a data center in their own community. That kind of cross-party consensus is rare in a polarized country.
Rising energy demand from data centers is a top voter worry. Photo: Unsplash (royalty-free).
The complaints tend to rhyme across party lines. Both sides argue the facilities receive generous tax breaks, strain the power grid, drive up utility rates, and need tighter oversight. The difference is emphasis.
Same target, different messaging
Michael Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political advertising, said the issue hands each side the talking points it wants. Democrats can lean into environmental and affordability concerns, he noted, while for Republicans, criticizing data centers is a way “to go in opposition to big corporations, in opposition to a system that doesn't care about you.”
You can see it in the ad copy. A PAC ad for Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley promises he will “stop AI data centers from making your energy bills skyrocket.” In Florida, Republican nominee Byron Donalds vows to “protect Florida families and communities from data centers that jack up utility rates.” Different parties, nearly identical pitch.
Georgia and Ohio: the epicenter
A handful of states dominate the spending. According to AdImpact, Georgia has captured roughly 30% of total data center ad spending, and its governor's race alone has seen $12.8 million across nine ads — the most of any contest in the country. Many of those ads used data centers as a stand-in for broader accusations of corruption.
Ohio's U.S. Senate race is the other flashpoint. Supporters of Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown have spent millions branding Republican Sen. Jon Husted as “the face of data centers” and blaming him for corporate tax breaks and spiking electric bills. A National Republican Senatorial Committee memo obtained by NPR reportedly called data centers a “sleeper issue for the entire election cycle.”
Secrecy is fueling the backlash
Part of what has soured communities is how little they know about the deals being struck in their name. In several states, non-disclosure agreements have kept the terms of data center projects hidden from residents until construction is nearly underway. That secrecy has drawn the ire of locals and caught the attention of lawmakers, who argue that taxpayers deserve to see the tax incentives and energy commitments before shovels hit the ground. For candidates, the transparency angle is an easy win: almost no voter argues in favor of backroom deals.
A local fight with national stakes
Notably, the loudest spending is not in Washington-focused races. Gubernatorial contests led with about $32 million in data center ads, House races followed at $8 million, and Senate races trailed at roughly $5.3 million. That makes sense: as Brookings Institution fellow Darrell M. West points out, the federal government plays little role in permitting new data centers, so “governors are under a lot of pressure to slow the construction.”
The politics put Republican candidates in an awkward spot. The party has long branded itself as pro-business, yet many of its own voters want a slowdown. That tension extends to the top of the ticket: President Trump has urged states to keep building, even as he acknowledged the projects could “use a little public relations help.”
What it means for the midterms
The data center backlash is a reminder that pocketbook issues cut across ideology. When a technology promises national economic gains but delivers local costs — higher bills, strained grids, and few visible community benefits — voters notice. The AI boom may be inevitable, but the political bill is coming due in real time.
Expect the issue to intensify through November. With ad mentions climbing every month and both parties convinced it moves voters, data centers have quietly become one of the defining local-to-national storylines of the 2026 campaign.
What do you think? Would you welcome an AI data center in your community, or fight it? Share your take in the comments, and subscribe for more clear-eyed coverage of the stories shaping the 2026 elections.
Reporting in this article is based on NPR's coverage of 2026 campaign advertising data from AdImpact.
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