Bipartisan campaigns seize on data‑center backlash to fuel 2026 midterm ad blitz

Candidates in both parties are targeting data centers as kitchen‑table villains in the 2026 midterms, tying the AI boom’s infrastructure to rising power bills and rich tax incentives. An NPR review of AdImpact data shows more than $45 million spent on ads mentioning data centers since January, with Democrats and Republicans investing comparable sums but Democrats airing nearly twice as many spots across more states. Messaging is concentrated in battlegrounds such as Georgia, which accounts for roughly 30% of spending and $12.8 million in its governor’s race, and in the Ohio Senate contest where allies of Democrat Sherrod Brown are casting Republican Jon Husted as overly friendly to industry. A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 77% of Americans worry data centers will hike electricity costs, creating rare bipartisan alignment even as President Trump urges continued construction. Because siting and incentives are largely state issues, governors are under pressure to slow approvals and tighten ratepayer protections—raising reputational and policy risks for tech firms, utilities and developers amid accelerating AI demand.

Read more