Data centers draw voters from both parties in midterms
Candidates in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania are distancing themselves from data center buildouts.
Policy#04
59%
Florida voters opposing data centers in their communities
Image: The Verge
59%Florida voters opposing data centers in their communities
The short version
- Data centers have sparked local opposition across the country and have become a major issue in many campaigns.
- Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by Marc Andreessen and Greg Brockman, has spent $45 million, while Public First Action says it has raised $80 million.
- In Florida, David Jolly has pledged a one-year ban on hyperscale data centers, and Byron Donalds has introduced a bill requiring developers to fund the energy and water they use.
- An October NBC6/Telemundo poll found 45 percent of likely voters in Florida opposed data centers, and 59 percent opposed them in their own communities.
Why it matters
Rules on energy costs, water use and local control could shape where AI infrastructure gets built. The rising political cost of data centers matters for anyone planning computing capacity in these states.
“Greg Abbott has zero credibility here. Nobody believes that the arsonist is about to put out the fire”