Republicans Warn AI Companies Data Centers Become Election-Sensitive Issue

According to Axios, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee (NRSC) warned in an internal memo to top AI companies that the negative public image of U.S. data centers is harming the party's chances of holding a key Senate seat in Ohio. The memo noted that Democrats have made data centers a core issue to defeat Republican Senator Jon Husted with significant effect, stating that if he loses and blames data centers, politicians nationwide will avoid future projects, making the issue a potential focal point of this election cycle. Titled "Ohio Data Center Risk," the memo urges AI companies to improve perceptions by explaining "who benefits, who pays, and why communities should welcome them." Currently, over 4,000 data centers are operating nationwide, with another 3,000-plus under construction or planned, supporting AI development, but facing protests due to high electricity and water consumption, rising power bills, limited employment, and associations with AI-related job displacement. Internal polling shows their unpopularity rivals nuclear waste and has become a proxy indicator for sentiment toward AI. Husted's opponent, former Senator Sherrod Brown, has spent millions on ads calling him the "face of Ohio data centers." A Fox News poll shows Brown leading by 8 points. Republicans want AI companies to curb the backlash, or Husted's defeat could cause lasting damage to data center construction nationwide; Democrats are likewise acting on the polls, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signing an executive order imposing strict restrictions on data center development.