Opposition to AI data centers is emerging as a rare bipartisan theme on the U.S. campaign trail, morphing into a “sleeper issue” that industry groups warn could sway key races. A satirical ad from beverage brands Liquid Death and Garage Beer lampooned the facilities’ water usage the same day Florida Republicans nominated Byron Donalds for governor—an AI PAC–backed candidate who nonetheless proposed curbs to data-center costs borne by ratepayers. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order forcing developers to finance required grid and infrastructure upgrades and meet strict water and community-benefit standards, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moved to impose similar conditions after initially championing the sector. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a one-year moratorium on large data centers to craft a regulatory framework. The National Republican Senatorial Committee flagged the issue’s salience in Ohio, where a massive 10-gigawatt campus—8 gigawatts secured by OpenAI and backstopped by Nvidia—has intensified debate over power, water and local control. Tech firms including Microsoft and OpenAI have pledged to pay their own way and reduce environmental impacts, but public skepticism—and rising electricity and water concerns—are reshaping the political calculus around AI infrastructure buildouts.
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