The 2026 midterm elections in the United States witnessed significant changes in public attitudes towards the artificial intelligence (AI) industry and data centers. In this election, 56 percent of voters stated that AI and data centers played a "major or critical" role in their congressional voting.
Democratic Victories
Democrats invested over $100 million in television advertisements to accuse their Republican opponents of close ties to big tech and data centers. This strategy led them to achieve remarkable victories in many states, including Ohio, Kansas, and Iowa.
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Data Center Bans and Their Consequences
Bans and suspensions for establishing data centers were approved in various counties across the country, including Edgewater in Florida and Bloomington in Illinois. Additionally, the mayors of the cities of Piqua in Ohio and Yukon in Oklahoma were removed from their positions due to their previous support for data center projects.
The AI accelerator faction and related super PACs failed to make a meaningful impact in the elections with their spending. One of the candidates they supported, Darleen Graham, lost to Annie Andrews. Andrews, nicknamed "Darleen Data Center," called for a two-year suspension of new projects.
Public Concerns and Polls
Polls indicate that many Americans would prefer to live near a prison, a methadone clinic, or a nuclear power plant rather than a data center. Existential concerns about AI have increased, but the tangible local impacts of data centers, including rising energy bills and environmental worries, are more pronounced.
Democratic candidates who opposed data centers more strongly than their opponents won in many races. For example, newly elected Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio spent millions on ads against Husted and his connections to the data industry, winning by five percent.
This election is seen as a turning point in a year where public opposition to the AI industry has grown. Despite the lack of immediate legal changes, politicians are likely to exercise more caution before supporting the AI industry. Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist, says: "Voters today expressed their views: they firmly support the safety and security of AI and strongly oppose data centers and surveillance cameras."
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