Data centers have unexpectedly emerged as a decisive political issue in six toss-up Senate races, cutting across party lines in ways that are forcing candidates to take clear positions on AI infrastructure. Polling from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 61 percent of Americans oppose new data centers in their area, including 69 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Republicans. Even more striking, research from Echelon Insights found that voters would rather have a nuclear plant in their community than an AI data center, suggesting deep public anxiety about the energy demands and environmental impact of AI infrastructure.

Which Senate Races Are Being Shaped by Data Center Politics?

The Cook Political Report has identified six Senate races as toss-ups heading into November, and data centers have become a defining issue in all of them. The races include:

• Alaska: Republican Senator Dan Sullivan versus Democrat Mary Peltola
• Iowa: Republican Representative Ashley Hinson versus Democratic State Representative Josh Turek
• Maine: Republican Senator Susan Collins versus Democrat Troy Jackson
• Michigan: Republican Mike Rogers versus Democrat Abdul El-Sayed
• Ohio: Republican Senator Jon Husted versus Democrat Sherrod Brown
• Texas: Republican Ken Paxton versus Democratic State Representative James Talarico

Michigan has become ground zero for the issue, with Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed spending months hammering data centers on the campaign trail. A Politico/Public First poll in July found support for data center construction dropping sharply among Michigan voters, particularly Democrats. El-Sayed leads Rogers in state polling, and he has proposed "terms of engagement" requiring developers to cover rate increases, guarantee grid reliability, and use closed-loop cooling systems.

Republican Mike Rogers initially favored state and local control over federal intervention, but reversed course this week after The Lever reported that Rogers had raised nearly $150,000 from donors with AI and data center investments, including $14,000 from Trump-aligned investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and $34,500 from seven Blackstone executives. Rogers now endorses a one-year statewide moratorium, arguing the decision belongs to local communities rather than Washington.

How Are Candidates Positioning Themselves on Data Center Regulation?

The data center issue is forcing candidates to articulate detailed positions on energy infrastructure, corporate accountability, and community control. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown has made opposition to data centers central to his campaign, running ads tying Republican Jon Husted to his 2019 defense of a $43.5 million Google tax break in New Albany. Husted's campaign has collected roughly $69,750 from political action committees and employees connected to Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, American Electric Power, Duke Energy, and Vistra.

The pressure has reached national Republicans. In a memo obtained by Axios, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned AI companies that "data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted's neck," adding that a Husted loss would teach politicians nationwide "they will not go near the next one". Brown outraised Husted more than two to one in the second quarter, pulling in $14.1 million to Husted's $3.4 million in direct donations. Polling from Wedgewood Polls in mid-August had Brown at 48 percent to Husted's 44 percent.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico has built part of his campaign around cracking down on data centers, calling for developers to fund their own infrastructure upgrades, pay their fair share of taxes, and get community buy-in before breaking ground. He has pointed to an estimated $3.2 billion in state tax breaks for data center companies as money that could instead lower housing, child care, and prescription drug costs. Zillow data cited by Talarico's campaign found rents in the data center hub of Abilene rose $825 in a year.

Republican Ken Paxton has been slower to define a position, calling the issue "complicated" in a May podcast appearance and citing the need to compete with China on artificial intelligence. However, Paxton has received roughly $400,000 from data center-connected donors, according to a NOTUS analysis of Federal Election Commission filings. Talarico has taken in far more, in excess of $11 million from donors tied to the industry, including hundreds of thousands from Nvidia and Lone Pine Capital figures, a contrast on which Paxton's campaign has seized, calling Talarico "a hypocrite and a liar". The race has tightened, with three late-July and early-August polls showing Talarico ahead by 2 to 5 points, though an August Emerson College poll found Paxton narrowly ahead at 47 percent to 46 percent.

What Are the Key Differences in How Candidates Are Addressing Community Concerns?

Candidates are taking markedly different approaches to balancing economic development with community concerns about energy consumption and environmental impact. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson has staked out the more aggressive position, pledging to regulate data centers within his first 100 days in office and requiring developers to build and supply their own power. His campaign, powered largely by small donors rather than corporate political action committees, has framed the issue as part of a broader critique of Republican Senator Susan Collins as beholden to entrenched interests.

Collins has taken a more cautious line, saying she shares "the concern of data centers gobbling up too much energy and putting stress on the cost of energy," while touring a former paper mill site with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, both of whom praised data center redevelopment projects as economic opportunities. Collins has simultaneously blamed Democratic state leaders, including Governor Janet Mills and Jackson himself, for rising energy rates. A Hart Research poll commissioned by the Senate Majority PAC found Jackson leading Collins 49 percent to 45 percent.

In Iowa, more than a dozen counties, including Linn, Dubuque, Johnson, Woodbury, and Sioux, have passed data center moratoriums this year amid concerns over water use, power demand, and lack of transparency. Democrat Josh Turek has framed his campaign broadly around standing up to "billionaires and large corporations" rather than issuing a detailed data center platform, though he has embraced the populist mood driving local moratoriums.

Steps to Understanding Data Center Politics in Your Community

• Track Local Moratoriums: Research whether your county or municipality has passed a data center moratorium or is considering one, as these local actions often precede state and federal policy changes and signal community sentiment.
• Review Candidate Funding Sources: Check Federal Election Commission filings to see whether your local candidates have received donations from tech companies, energy firms, or data center developers, which may influence their positions on regulation.
• Examine Energy Impact Proposals: Compare candidates' specific proposals on cooling systems, grid reliability guarantees, and infrastructure cost-sharing, as these details reveal how seriously they are addressing community concerns about power consumption.
• Monitor Polling Trends: Follow regional and statewide polls on data center support, as shifting public opinion can force candidates to change positions and may ultimately decide close races.

The data center issue reflects a broader tension between the economic benefits of AI infrastructure investment and the environmental and community costs of rapid expansion. As voters in these six toss-up races weigh their choices, data centers have become a litmus test for whether candidates prioritize corporate interests or community control over local resources.

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