The AI Backlash Is an Opportunity for Democrats

All around the country, residents are fighting data centers. When will Democratic politicians realize the potential here?

In nearly every state, residents are angry about data centers and fighting efforts to build them near their towns. In Memphis, where xAI’s energy-guzzling, pollution-spewing supercomputing center popped up seemingly overnight, residents are protesting its operations, albeit without much success, as their county officials have permitted it to keep functioning. 

Other cities and states that have found themselves in the same boat are also pushing back. Maine tried to pass a moratorium on new data centers, but Governor Janet Mills vetoed it. Residents in Utah fought a data center before their county board, over objections, approved one the size of Manhattan. In Festus, Missouri, voters took the unusual step of ousting every single city council member running for reelection who had voted in favor of installing a center near them. (Opponents have also filed a lawsuit, but the facility is going ahead for now.)

Backlash to data centers is everywhere, and it’s growing. But if it’s clear where popular opinion is when it comes to these resource-intensive operations, which often get pushed through in secret, it’s less clear where this is headed politically. After all, not all voters who are angry will unite and take the action that Festus did. Will the anger people feel at Big Tech turn into votes?

In some ways, the anger over data centers is part of a broader trend. People are unhappy about Big Tech’s dominance and the relentless advance of large........

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