{"id":32598,"date":"2026-08-08T14:11:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32598"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:11:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:11:24","slug":"data-centers-are-a-top-issue-in-midterms-for-voters-candidates-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=32598","title":{"rendered":"Data centers are a top issue in midterms for voters, candidates : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137864\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 8693;&#10;        --source-height: 5752;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x5752+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"An aerial view of a data center on April 14 in Vernon, Calif. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                An aerial view of a data center on April 14 in Vernon,  Calif. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Two months after OpenAI and Oracle broke ground on a massive data center campus in Saline Township, Michigan, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed held a rally in front of the site, using the controversial project as a backdrop for his insurgent campaign.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I stand with local and state elected officials saying that we cannot approve any more of these until we have federal-level guardrails,&#8221; said El-Sayed with community activists standing by his side.<\/p>\n<p>Data centers, the giant, windowless, server-filled buildings are the backbone of the AI boom. They are also deeply unpopular. <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/709772\/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">A Gallup poll <\/a>from earlier this year found 7 in 10 Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area. So, perhaps it&#8217;s not a surprise that candidates across the political spectrum are trying to tap into the backlash.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137853-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImageg-s1-117729\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/04\/20\/g-s1-117729\/data-center-disputes-local-midterms\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/20\\\/g-s1-117729\\\/data-center-disputes-local-midterms&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2667x2667+667+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F88%2Fab%2F1bf4782e47ee8ecee9915c711046%2Fgettyimages-2243421675.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"This photo taken from high above shows a Meta data center in Ashburn, Virginia, in 2025. It is a large, long light-colored building with few windows, and it's nestled among trees and a few other buildings with a similar shape.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-137853-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>El-Sayed narrowly won his primary earlier this week, and while data centers weren&#8217;t the centerpiece of his pitch to voters, they do tie into key themes of his campaign \u2014 populist economics and getting money out of politics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unless and until we protect local communities from the power of corrupting money and politics, we&#8217;re going to continue to see projects like this get pushed on to local communities despite themselves,&#8221; El-Sayed said.<\/p>\n<p>In Ohio, the Republican nominee for governor, Vivek Ramaswamy, released an &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/vivekforohio.com\/viveks-ohioans-first-data-center-pledge\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ohioans-first data center pledge<\/a>&#8221; this week, which called for legislation and, until it passes, a moratorium on data center construction in the state.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A top concern I hear from Ohioans across our state \u2014 second only to property taxes \u2014 is the accelerating pace of data center expansion,&#8221; he said in a statement released by his campaign. &#8220;The data center industry has badly failed to earn the trust of millions of everyday Ohioans.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Among the complaints he said he has heard are rising electric bills, noise, pollution and &#8220;the absence of clearly defined economic benefits for Ohio families.&#8221; Ramaswamy even called for data center companies to cover the power bills of people who live nearby.<\/p>\n<p>This followed Ohio Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton&#8217;s plan for a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/actonforgovernor.com\/issue\/data-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\">conditional moratorium<\/a>&#8221; on data centers released last month along with a broadside that &#8220;Ohio cannot trust Vivek Ramaswamy to protect communities from his fellow big-tech billionaires.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137866\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 8256;&#10;        --source-height: 5504;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fb2%2Fb4e592484fa896e37ba2d9fdee9e%2Fgettyimages-2286058283.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Fla. on July 18, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Fla. on July 18, 2026.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Thomas Simonetti\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Thomas Simonetti\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In Michigan&#8217;s 7th Congressional District, Democrat William Lawrence didn&#8217;t set out to campaign against data centers. But it quickly became a key plank in his platform because voters kept bringing it up to him.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside id=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" class=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" aria-label=\"recommended stories\"\/>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t something that I expected to be part of the campaign last August because data centers weren&#8217;t on our radar,&#8221; said Lawrence, who won in a primary against two more moderate Democrats. &#8220;But there have been four data centers proposed in the district since I declared my candidacy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In Wisconsin, calling for a moratorium on data center construction has helped Francesca Hong build a broad coalition as she runs for the Democratic nomination for governor. She talks about data centers a lot and voters are noticing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time to press control+alt+delete to put a stop to this AI data center crisis, a full moratorium until we have the new regulations we need to protect our energy costs, our economy, our environment,&#8221; Hong said in a video released by her campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Voting ends Tuesday in Wisconsin and recent polls show Hong favored to win.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137853-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5894905\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/15\/nx-s1-5894905\/whats-behind-americas-data-center-revolt\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/15\\\/nx-s1-5894905\\\/whats-behind-americas-data-center-revolt&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1400x1400+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdc%2Ff3%2Fb07b5f664cfbaba845a572abe691%2Fpodcast-ep-art-3.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"What's behind America's data center revolt?\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESG-S1-137853-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>At a recent Hong campaign event, supporter Peggy McCrumb didn&#8217;t hesitate when asked why she backs the candidate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone wants data centers, and she&#8217;s the only one who stands up against it,&#8221; McCrumb said. &#8220;So she&#8217;s actually listening to what people want.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hong is a democratic socialist. But this issue cuts through the usual partisan divides, says Amanda Litman, the founder of Run For Something, which works with Democrats running for state and local office.<\/p>\n<p>She says these data centers are the most tangible, physical representation of the threat people perceive from AI, whether it&#8217;s higher energy prices or making jobs obsolete.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re hearing it from urban, from rural, from suburban,&#8221; Litman said of data center anxiety. &#8220;We&#8217;re hearing it in red states, blue states, purple states. It&#8217;s all kinds of communities, which I think is really speaking to how visceral people feel this is coming for them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An aerial view of a data center on April 14 in Vernon, Calif. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe. Mario Tama\/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Mario Tama\/Getty Images Two months after OpenAI and Oracle broke ground on a massive&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8693x4890+0+431\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F65%2F2e41691a465792ae993158529b63%2Fgettyimages-2271402911.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}