How Politicians Changed Their Tune On Data Centers

Politicians used to champion data centers as a symbol of economic development, but now they have spurned them as Americans sour on data centers.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) warned that Americans’ disdain for data centers could cost Republicans a key Senate seat and that a loss in Ohio could hinder future data center development, Axios reported. Governors used to tout data centers and now have paused or put more rules against artificial intelligence development in the face of negative polling on the issue.

The NRSC memo to AI companies said that Republican Ohio Senator John Husted and former Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown remain in a “dead heat” largely due to Brown’s anti-data center messaging.

“Data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck. If he loses and data centers get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice — and they will not go near the next one,” the NRSC memo stated, which was obtained by a source aware of the message to AI companies. Ohio remains one of the top leaders in data center development as OpenAI announced a data center project in southern Ohio that may become one of the largest such projects.

“If voters’ perceptions of data centers are not fixed quickly, the campaign against them will expand far beyond Ohio,” the NRSC memo emphasized, urging AI companies to help address negative public perception about data centers.

Brown used to champion data centers before the public’s opinion on them turned sour, Fox News reported earlier in August.

“This new data center is great news for New Albany and central Ohio. Amazon’s growth in central Ohio signals that this region is not only a great place to do business, but a place where people want to live and raise a family,” the then-senator wrote in a press release about the construction of a third data center in central Ohio.

A spokesperson for Brown did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Tech companies now look to combat negative perceptions with new media campaigns, according to Axios.

Governors have imposed moratoriums or more rules against AI development.

“Over the past year, I’ve listened to the people of Pennsylvania — and I’ve heard directly from many residents across our Commonwealth who are concerned about what data center development could mean for our communities, our environment, and our utility bills,” Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement on Tuesday.

“My message to data center developers is clear: if you can’t agree to our strict requirements and get the community where you want to build to say ‘yes,’ you’re not going to have the Commonwealth’s support either,” he added. “These are some of the biggest companies in the world – they can afford to be good neighbors, follow the rules, and do this right.”

A spokesperson for Shapiro referred the DCNF to its press release on the governor’s order on data centers.

Shapiro’s order requires AI labs to obtain state permits, pay for the electricity cost, hire and train local workers, invest in local priorities and protect the environment, according to a press release from his office.

Shapiro’s order serves as a reversal of his previously pro-AI stance, according to the Center Square. He created a fast-track process for data centers in the Keystone State, which he described in 2024 as a “game changer.” Nine of the 17 projects in the fast track program were data centers.

Amazon in 2025 committed $20 billion to build at least two data centers in the state stating at the time that the “future of AI” will “run through the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, according to Just the News.

Shapiro’s about-faced on data centers as he runs for reelection.

“Josh Shapiro is trying to gaslight the people of Pennsylvania into not believing what they’ve seen with their own eyes for the past 13 months. Last summer, Josh Shapiro was the biggest data center cheerleader in the nation, and he reaped in more than $5 million in campaign donations from out-of-state data center interests in the process,” Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity said in a statement, per NBC Philadelphia.

State polling found that Pennsylvanians widely frown on data center development.

Seventy-six percent of registered Pennsylvania found that 76% of registered state voters would oppose a data center in their community, according to a July Quinnipiac poll.

Americans feel similarly across the nation.

Fifty-two percent of Americans say they remain more concerned than excited about AI, up from 37% in 2021, according to a Pew Research poll released recently. Seventy-one percent say AI will lead to job losses over the next 20 years, up from 64% in 2024. Forty-five percent of American said they believe AI will negatively impact their careers, according to a CNBC poll.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in August issued a moratorium on data centers as Texans increasingly disapprove of them.