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.