Data center concerns

Underdog Democrats lean into data center concerns

Democrats in particular have seized on the prospect of rising energy costs in the fight for control of Washington and state capitals.

By Timothy Cama, Amelia Davidson and Natalie Fertig

An explosion in data center construction across the nation is fueling underdogs in key races as candidates look to win the messaging war on affordability.

Democrats from Georgia to Michigan are trying to turn concern about the energy-hungry facilities to their advantage as voters fret about its impact on electricity bills.

And while polling suggests the data center debate is far from being a top-tier midterm subject, the issue is bubbling up as a wedge for lesser-known candidates looking to differentiate themselves from the pack.

“Running away from these issues is, frankly, bad politics. It’s cowardly politics,” said Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, a hot spot for data center clashes.

El-Sayed is one of a number of second-tier Democratic candidates for state legislative, congressional and gubernatorial races who are seizing on concerns about data centers. They’re doing it even more sharply than Democrats with a national profile, like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose positions on data centers have been evolving.

It’s unclear how much traction the data center discussion will give underdog candidates. Despite deep concern in certain communities, voters’ views about data centers appear far from settled.

A POLITICO poll, conducted in January by London-based independent firm Public First, found that just 28 percent of voters would oppose construction of a new data center within 3 miles of their house, with 37 percent in support and another 28 percent neither supporting nor opposing.

The political breakdown of voters moves the needle slightly. Among those who supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, 26 percent would oppose the nearby data center. For those who voted for Democrat Kamala Harris, 33 percent don’t want the facility.

But while the data center debate might not yet be garnering uniform national concern, experts in states that have borne the brunt of data center construction — like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia — insist the issue could well bear on certain races.

“Anybody that pays an electric bill, if they’re paying attention, should be motivated and concerned,” said John Quigley, former secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection under former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

At the very least, data centers will play an implicit role when people make voting decisions based on the rise of their electricity bill, some experts suggested.

“There’s a growing groundswell of concern and definitely opposition to this. Depending on how big that is, it absolutely could move the needle in some races,” said Quigley, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.

Michigan, Georgia

The most vocal candidates talking about data center concerns on the campaign trail are often underdogs, fighting in crowded primaries or against better-funded opponents.

El-Sayed last month laid out a set of “Terms of Engagement” for data centers, which would have projects pay for all of their own energy, protect water resources and be subject to financial penalties for missing employment promises.

The data center platform “is about clarity, it’s about transparency, it’s about meeting commitments that are promised,” El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed is running against Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters in one of this year’s most-watched contests. Polls show El-Sayed trailing Stevens and McMorrow, but not by much.

An Emerson College survey last month had him with 16 percent of the Democratic primary vote, to Stevens’ 17 percent and McMorrow’s 22 percent. The winner would likely face former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election.

“I’m the only candidate in my race who’s never taken a dime of money from DTE, our local utility,” said El-Sayed. “I’m in the position to actually have an honest conversation as an honest broker about what people need and deserve.”

McMorrow wants federal legislation to curb data centers’ impacts on energy bills and the environment, among other protections, she said in a campaign speech posted on social media.

“In the same way that our state showed the rest of the country, frankly, how to revolutionize manufacturing … that is our opportunity ahead,” she said.

In Georgia’s gubernatorial race, another marquee contest, long-shot candidate Jason Esteves has seized on data center politics to differentiate himself in a crowded Democratic primary. An October poll from the University of Georgia and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had Esteves in a distant third place in the Democratic primary, with 3 percent of support.

“Everywhere I’ve been in this state, one of the first questions that are asked is about data centers,” the former state senator said. “No one’s really offering solutions to bring [the cost of living] down, and that’s where my campaign is looking to fill in that gap.”

Esteves released a data center platform in December that proposes to end any taxpayer subsidies and require them to use energy-efficient technology.

It came after the November elections in which two Democrats flipped seats in the Georgia Public Service Commission on a platform that included new constraints meant to protect electricity customers from data centers.

“I support any new development projects that brings good-paying jobs to Georgia,” Esteves explained. “But I don’t want to give these projects a blank check.”

Melody Oliphant, executive director of grassroots advocacy group Georgia Youth Justice Coalition and a veteran of Democrat Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaigns, said many people concerned about data centers don’t feel heard.

“Many, many people all across Georgia, [what] matters to them right now is the construction of these new data center projects,” she said. “Asking what that has felt like … [and presenting] how you will make their lives better if you’re elected to office — that is very compelling,” Oliphant said.

Pennsylvania, New York, Utah

Should there be a broad backlash against incumbents because of rising energy prices, Quigley said data center construction will be partially to blame. But the issue is so new that it may be proximity to data center construction — rather than political party — that dictates voters’ views.

“I think that the candidates who succeed on this, regardless of political party, will be ones who recognize both the opportunities and trade-offs here,” said former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Neil Chatterjee, who was once a top GOP Senate aide.

“I think candidates — but also tech companies, power companies, water companies, politicians — need to do a better job of articulating the benefits of [artificial intelligence] and why the trade-offs are necessary.”

The Republican and Democratic parties have yet to articulate “much of a split” when it comes to data centers, Quigley said. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling for a moratorium on construction, but few others are following his lead.

“I have expertise that Ryan Mackenzie does not — and frankly, none of my opponents have,” Obando-Derstine said. “Resource adequacy and a clean, long-term energy plan are things I’ve spent years thinking about.”

Obando-Derstine says she is not inherently opposed to data centers, pointing to the benefits of AI that many Americans already experience. But she argues that stronger guardrails are needed to ensure meaningful local and state input.

“We could see water and power outages, and communities could be left paying for decades for infrastructure that primarily benefits billion-dollar industries,” she warned.

Obando-Derstine trailed Democrats Ryan Crosswell and Bob Brooks in fundraising during the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Federal Election Commission.

State Sen. Alex Bores, a Democrat who is running in the crowded field to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D) in New York’s 12th District, has also made his fights against data centers and AI a major feature of his campaign. It’s prompted a technology company-backed network to target him with negative ads and pledge to spend millions against him.

Bores said his priority is to ensure that as data centers get built, they aren’t locking in decades of pollution tied to fossil fuel power plants.

“It’s the incentives that have been set up that are leading to these data centers just causing environmental degradation. This is a very short window, a very short moment in time, as this build-out is happening, where we can change the incentives,” Bores said.

He envisions letting data centers have priority in electric grid interconnection queues in exchange for building out clean power, while ensuring that none of the higher cost goes to consumers’ bills.

Bores is up against a number of high-profile candidates with significant endorsements, like former Nadler aide Micah Lasher, Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg and attorney George Conway.

Utah’s 1st District, where Democrats are favored to win, features another tech veteran prioritizing data centers. Liban Mohamed, who used to work on data center sustainability issues for Meta and later worked for TikTok, hopes that will give him a fighting chance against former Rep. Ben McAdams, the top fundraiser so far in the primary.

“Voters don’t oppose technology, but they are increasingly opposed to corporate projects that are subsidized, opaque and push real cost onto communities. That tension, I believe, is going to show up in this year’s election cycle and election cycles to come, especially in water-stressed areas and fast-growing regions,” he said.