Democratic Candidates Use Data Center Concerns in Midterm Races

Democratic candidates in Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Utah are leveraging public concern over the rapid growth of energy-intensive data centers to challenge better-funded opponents. These candidates frame the build-out of these facilities as a risk to water resources, electricity affordability, and environmental stability.

In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed proposed a "Terms of Engagement" framework requiring data centers to pay for their own energy. Fellow Michigan candidate Mallory McMorrow is pursuing federal legislation to address the economic and environmental footprints of the industry. In Georgia, Jason Esteves released a platform to end taxpayer subsidies for the projects, while Alex Bores in New York is focusing on the environmental degradation caused by current incentive structures.

Other candidates are emphasizing infrastructure risks. In Pennsylvania, Carol Obando-Derstine warned that insufficient guardrails could lead to power and water outages for local communities. Meanwhile, Liban Mohamed in Utah is campaigning against the opaque nature of subsidized corporate projects. While a POLITICO poll shows only 28 percent of voters oppose a data center within three miles of their homes, candidates argue that rising utility bills may make the issue decisive in specific regional contests.