With less than two weeks until the U.S. midterm elections, data centers have emerged as a growing political liability for candidates seeking support. According to a recent POLITICO survey, half of Americans now oppose building data centers within three miles of their homes—nearly double the 28% who held that view in January. Public opposition has also shifted toward candidates who back such projects, marking a stark reversal from ten months ago, when pro-data center candidates enjoyed slight favorability. This trend underscores how data centers are increasingly becoming politically toxic as the issue gains prominence on the national stage. Candidates across the spectrum are scrambling to clarify their positions in response to mounting concerns that artificial intelligence and its associated infrastructure could disrupt economies, labor markets, and local communities. It is expected that opposition to AI-related infrastructure will intensify further after the midterms. Democrats who have reversed course on data center development are already benefiting from this shift: 47% of respondents said they are more likely to support a Democratic candidate opposed to local data centers, compared with only 36% who expressed similar sentiment toward Republican candidates. Republican figures, having observed this trend earlier, have distanced themselves from former President Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement of data center expansion, with several populist-leaning candidates explicitly disassociating from his stance.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1880084719366153/
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