The GOP Is Warning AI Companies Over Data Center Backlash. The Ohio Senate Race Could Be A Test.
Republicans are warning major AI companies about growing public opposition to data centers, which is impacting a key Ohio Senate race and could deter politicians from supporting future projects. The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a private memo urging AI companies to better explain the costs and benefits of data centers to local communities. This comes as Pennsylvania's Governor has signed an executive order placing new requirements on data center development, citing concerns over energy costs and community effects.
Republicans are issuing a strong warning to leading AI companies, cautioning that escalating public opposition to data centers could significantly harm the party in a pivotal Ohio Senate race and discourage political support for future AI infrastructure projects nationwide. A private memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), obtained by Axios, highlighted that data centers have become a critical campaign issue against Republican Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio, with Democrats leveraging concerns over electricity use, water consumption, and impacts on utility bills.
Polling data from Fox News indicates substantial voter opposition in Ohio, with 65% of registered voters against an AI data center in their area, and similar sentiment nationwide. The NRSC urged AI companies to proactively engage with communities and clarify the benefits and costs of these projects to mitigate political fallout. This warning comes amidst a surge in data center construction across the U.S., with OpenAI recently announcing an agreement for 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, a project involving SB Energy and Nvidia.
The growing political pressure is already influencing policy, as evidenced by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's executive order. Signed Tuesday, the order mandates that the state's Department of Environmental Protection will only review data center permit applications after developers secure local approval and commit to responsible infrastructure development requirements, addressing concerns like energy costs and noise.
For the AI industry, the Republican warning underscores a broader challenge to expanding U.S. computing capacity. The NRSC emphasized that if public perceptions of data centers are not quickly improved, the opposition movement could extend far beyond Ohio, making future project approvals more difficult across other states.