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Data center backlash becomes a bipartisan campaign strategy ahead of midterms
Republicans warn that losing Ohio could make it harder for Big Tech to build data centers needed for AI, while Democrats and Republicans use the issue in ads and messaging.
Bisnow reports that opposition to data center development has become a central political issue in the run-up to the midterm elections, with Democrats and Republicans increasingly shifting their approach to AI infrastructure.
According to Bisnow, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a memo to major tech and artificial intelligence firms warning that rising public sentiment against data centers is hurting the GOP in a key Ohio Senate race.
Bisnow says the NRSC cited an Axios report on the memo, which argues Democrats are making data centers a campaign centerpiece against incumbent Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, with his Democratic opponent, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, spending millions on advertisements that portray Husted as the face of data centers in Ohio.
Bisnow reports the NRSC pointed to a Fox News poll showing Brown leading by 8 points, and warned that if Husted loses and data centers are blamed, politicians elsewhere could avoid the projects and make future development harder for Big Tech.