From Vox · Caitlin Dewey · · 2m
Data Center Dave haunts the midterms
Voters across America hate data centers. Both parties are weaponising the backlash, but it may not swing many races.
In brief
Voters across America hate data centers. Both parties are weaponising the backlash, but it may not swing many races. Data centers have become a bipartisan political liability ahead of the midterms, with candidates attacking opponents as pro-development, though the issue ranks low among voters' actual voting…
A slur for the midterms
Tom Tiffany, a Republican running for Wisconsin governor, attacks his Democratic opponent Dave Crowley as Data Center Dave in campaign ads. The nickname has become a political weapon.
Voters hate data centers
Americans across party lines have turned against AI data centers, the massive warehouses that power artificial intelligence. The hostility crosses geography and political affiliation.
Why the backlash started
Opponents initially focused on noise, water use and energy costs affecting nearby residents. But the hostility grew as data centers became a symbol for broader fears about AI.
Fears about artificial intelligence
Voters worry data centers represent AI causing mass unemployment, widening inequality between rich and poor, and politicians prioritising business interests over ordinary people's needs.
Candidates weaponise the issue
Both Republicans and Democrats have backed policies limiting data center energy bills, ending tax breaks, or requiring public notice before construction. Both parties attack opponents as pro-development.
How much will it matter
Data centers have been a major theme in several governor's races where candidates took past pro-data-center positions. But very few voters list it as their top voting concern.
Ohio shows the limits
In Ohio, a hub for data centre development and opposition, only three percent of voters named data centers as the top issue driving their vote. That is the highest share in the nation.
Wisconsin's test case
In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Data Center Dave Crowley defeated Francesca Hong, an outspoken data center critic. The result suggests data centers do not necessarily determine election outcomes.
Races to watch in November
Wisconsin governor's race, where both candidates distance themselves from data centers without embracing a ban. Texas governor's race, where Greg Abbott retreated from pro-data-center positions. Ohio Senate race.
At a glance
Data centers have become a bipartisan political liability ahead of the midterms, with candidates attacking opponents as pro-development, though the issue ranks low among voters' actual voting priorities.
