Data centers emerge as growing wedge issue in midterm races

The tech industry's expansion of data centers is emerging as a wedge issue in the midterms, as candidates weigh economic opportunity against the associated strain on voters' utility bills. In the Michigan governor's race, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), whose husband is a top executive at a company pressing for a new data center, wants regulations addressing related water usage and energy costs. Other candidates including Republican Tom Leonard are going even further, pushing for a temporary moratorium on building new ones. Over in the Georgia governor's race, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), whose father's company is looking to develop data centers as part of a larger project in the state, has fielded attack ads over the issue. Yet there's been some room for bipartisan agreement at times, as Jones and several of his Republican and Democratic gubernatorial challengers have expressed support for or backed legislation that would end tax subsidies on data centers. The debate around data centers is striking a nerve in midterm races given its connection to the issue of affordability, as customers grapple with higher bills to pay for costs associated with nearby facilities. Both parties are keenly aware of how data centers and the issue of cost of living are playing out economically and politically.