The Nov. 3 midterm results gave Democrats full control of Congress, setting the stage for what could be one of the most divided U.S. governments this decade, with Republicans in the White House. Tuesday’s results suggest that anger over data centers, the large facilities that house the computers powering AI, is becoming a political force. With Democrats now in control of Congress, that could lead to new limits on where data centers can be built and how much say local communities have.
Data centers became a ballot-box issue in various states. An NBC exit poll showed how concerned voters are about AI: more than half of respondents believe that AI will do more harm than good, while almost 80% are against the building of data centers in their neighborhoods. Almost 60%, meanwhile, said data centers were a crucial or major factor in their vote.
Nadine Smith, president and CEO of the racial justice organization Color of Change, called Tuesday’s election a referendum on “who this economy is built for.” “National security matters,” Smith said, referring to a common argument from data center supporters that the infrastructure is essential for the U.S. to stay ahead in war and in its rivalry with China. In fact, the Ohio county where Meta had planned a 700,000-square-foot facility just passed a ban on data centers, and local communities across the state overwhelmingly voted against data center buildout measures. Analysts at Morgan Stanley predict that Democratic Gov.-elect Amy Acton will also pose a major risk to Ohio’s data center buildout.
Elsewhere, candidates in Texas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, and South Carolina all won seats after taking a stance against the rapid buildout of data centers. Likely next steps include more construction moratoriums or requiring data centers to pay for their own power grid upgrades instead of passing those costs on to nearby communities. Goldman Sachs, in fact, predicts data center construction delays in states like Georgia and Texas because of Democratic gains.
Democratic control of Congress could also improve the odds for bills like the one Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced earlier this year, though any such bill would also face a possible veto. It proposes a nationwide moratorium on new data centers until Congress adds new guardrails and ensures that the buildout does not raise electricity costs, harm the environment, or proceed without community approval.
There are also bills like the GRID Savings Act, proposed by New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, which would prevent grid infrastructure costs from being passed on to communities during large AI data center buildouts. The environment is also a major concern, especially at xAI’s data center in Memphis and at the data centers throughout Virginia, known as the world capital of data centers, where gas turbines are used for power.
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