Political campaigns across the United States are increasingly targeting data centers in advertisements, citing concerns over rising electricity costs and corporate tax breaks ahead of midterm elections.

Key Points

• Campaigns and outside groups have spent over $45 million on political advertisements mentioning data centers since January.
• Ad volume surged from a handful of mentions in January to approximately 164 by August.
• A June Reuters/Ipsos poll found 77% of Americans are concerned that data centers will increase their personal electricity costs.
• Spending is split nearly evenly between parties, with $22 million from Republicans and $21 million from Democrats.
• Georgia leads all states in ad spending, accounting for roughly 30% of the national total regarding data center messaging.
• Gubernatorial races have seen the highest investment, totaling $32 million in ad spending compared to $8 million for House and $5.3 million for Senate contests.

Why it Matters

The bipartisan focus on data centers highlights a rare alignment between voters and candidates who are responding to widespread anxiety over utility affordability and corporate influence. This trend signals a potential shift in how tech infrastructure projects are regulated, as politicians increasingly view opposition to these facilities as a viable strategy to win competitive races.