Midterm Races Heat Up Over Proposed Data Centers

The Nov. 3 midterm elections are approaching with data center construction emerging as a decisive issue in competitive districts. Candidates in Arizona, Ohio, and Texas are facing pressure from constituents who oppose the facilities due to health and environmental concerns. This shift is forcing politicians to revisit support for projects approved just a few years ago.

In Page, Arizona, a proposed 10 billion dollar data center on 500 acres has divided the community of 7,000 residents. The city council approved the land sale, but the developer still requires zoning and other approvals. Doug Herrera, 64, stands in his front yard with a sign reading "No Data Centers." He worries that light, sound, and heat from the facility will affect his health, a concern rooted in local history of uranium mining.

New modeling by researchers at the University of California-Riverside projects that emissions from data centers could cause nearly 1,300 deaths annually by 2030. The study estimates the public health burden will exceed 20 billion dollars in 2028. Advocacy groups also warn that cooling components contain synthetic chemicals that accumulate in human tissue. The noise from generators can exceed 90 decibels, a level that can harm hearing.

Political science professor Lee Hannah of Wright State University noted that organized opposition to data centers has grown rapidly. He stated that decisions made a year ago by local officials to support construction are now viewed as career risks. This backlash is hitting incumbents in red states like Ohio and Texas, where hundreds of facilities already operate.

The issue is cutting across party lines. An October poll by the Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos found that two in three Americans oppose new data center construction in the United States. In Arizona, 57 percent of registered voters oppose more large data centers, according to a Noble Predictive Insights survey. In the close race for the state's 1st Congressional District, Republican Jay Feely supports the facilities as essential for economic growth, while Democratic challenger Amish Shah wants a pause on new construction.

The political fight has intensified in Ohio, where more than a dozen local referendums on data centers will appear on ballots this year. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown is attacking his opponent, Sen. Jon Husted, in television ads. Brown calls Husted "the face of data centers" and argues they are consuming farmland and water. A memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee described the issue as a major liability for Husted.

Husted’s spokesperson, Tom Evans, said the senator believes data centers should remain a local decision. Evans added that Husted wants companies to pay for infrastructure costs, including energy. The state has granted roughly 2.5 billion dollars in tax breaks over the last decade to attract tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google.

A survey of 1,650 Ohio adults by Ohio Northern University and SurveyUSA found that 55 percent of residents oppose data center construction. About two-thirds hold a negative opinion of the facilities' environmental impact. In Page, residents voted out their mayor in July following the council's approval of the land sale, a move opponents cite as a warning to midterm candidates.

The Data Center Coalition, an industry trade group, argued that a review of the largest market showed minimal use of backup power sources. Dan Diorio, the group's executive vice president, said existing state and federal regulations limit emissions. The coalition maintains that data centers are committed to being responsible partners where they operate.