Data Center Backlash Reshapes 2026 Midterm Bets

Tech super PACs have injected massive sums into the 2026 midterm races, making data center development a central campaign issue. Leading the Future, backed by Marc Andreessen and Greg Brockman, has spent $45 million in the past year. Public First Action, supported by Anthropic, has raised $80 million to promote AI safeguards. A third group, Tomorrow Together, launched $4 million in ads for battleground House seats.

Candidates across the political spectrum are proposing different solutions to the growing opposition against server facilities. Some lawmakers want a complete moratorium, while others prefer local control or specific regulatory guardrails. Democrats generally favor a pause, though several Republicans argue a halt is necessary to address community concerns.

In Texas, the second state with the most planned data center projects after Virginia, the issue divides key races. Senate candidate James Talarico, a Democrat, proposes ending state sales tax incentives and requiring closed-loop water systems. His Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, wants to keep Chinese technology out of US facilities and repeal sales tax exemptions. Both candidates agree that data centers should cover their own energy infrastructure costs.

The Texas gubernatorial race features Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who calls for a statewide moratorium. She has criticized Republican Governor Greg Abbott for changing his stance after he celebrated a $40 billion Google investment last year. Abbott announced an audit in August that could slow grid connections. Cook Political Report rates the governor’s race as leaning Republican and the Senate race as a toss-up.

In Florida, Democrat David Jolly pledged to ban hyperscale data centers for one year on his first day in office. Republican Byron Donalds, who previously said Florida was wide open for construction, now backs the Protecting Ratepayers Act. An October NBC6/Telemundo poll shows 45 percent of likely voters oppose data centers statewide, with 59 percent opposed in their own communities. Donalds leads Jolly 48 percent to 41 percent in the same poll.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity have accused each other of shifting positions on the issue. Shapiro signed an order in August barring nondisclosure agreements for developers after touting a $20 billion Amazon investment. Garrity supports a pause of no more than three years. A Quinnipiac poll finds 64 percent of likely voters believe AI data centers do more harm than good, with Shapiro leading 59 percent to 34 percent.

Ohio’s Senate race has seen a leaked Republican memo describe data centers as an anchor around incumbent Jon Husted’s neck. Democrat Sherrod Brown has called Husted the face of data centers. Husted favors local decision-making, and his Ratepayer Protection Act passed the House but failed in the Senate. In Michigan, both Senate candidates, Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, support a moratorium. Cook rates that race a dead heat.