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By Andrew Stanton and Alex J. Rouhandeh
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Republican leaders are largely staying in lockstep with President Donald Trump on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers ahead of the 2026 midterms amid growing calls from voters for Congress and states to take action on Big Tech.
Trump has often been a vocal proponent of accelerating AI technology and has used his executive authority to support the industry despite a nationwide groundswell of voter backlash to the development of data centers. Data centers and AI technology have become top issues in the midterms, and Republican candidates find themselves in a tricky position, trying to avoid clashing with the president on the issue.
At the Republican National Convention in Dallas this week, several Republican state party chairs told Newsweek they support developing data centers, but the process must include local control.
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The convention comes as Republicans find themselves behind in the polls in several House and Senate races. Democrats have built up a generic ballot lead and are competitive in several important Senate races in states that backed Trump by double digits in 2024. Democrats think they have the momentum to take control of both chambers of Congress.
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Concerns around the economy, cost of living and the unpopular war in Iran have chipped away at Trump’s popularity. Historically, when a president is unpopular, his party loses seats in midterms. During Trump's first White House term, Democrats rode a blue wave to take back the House majority by flipping 41 seats.
Data centers, which critics say lead to higher energy prices, play right into Democrats’ affordability argument they hope will sway independent voters.
Data Centers Beneficial, But Local Control Paramount, Republicans Say
Several state Republican Party chairs told Newsweek that they do see benefits to the construction of new data centers, but that local control remains very important in their construction.
Scott Golden, the chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, told Newsweek there are “legitimate issues on both sides” of the data center debate.
“When I talk to people, they're worried about obviously paying more in energy prices. But I do think there's a lot of misinformation out there,” he said.
Golden said data centers should be working toward development in places “where they make sense” and in states that want them.
Florida offers a model for how states can approach the data center issue, Evan Power, the chair of the Florida Republican Party, told Newsweek.
“Florida has done it really well. We make sure that they pay for their power and their water, and then we let local governments make the decisions of where they’re going to be. I think that's key—to let local governments who are in touch with those people make the zoning decisions they want for data centers,” he said.
Washington Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told Newsweek each project should be taken at its own merits. While there can be cases there are legitimate concerns, that is not universal, and there are benefits to data centers around energy issues, he said.
“These blanket statements of opposition of data centers are stupid, and a lot of the rhetoric that data centers necessarily drain energy grids or dirty up water, not true in every case,” he said.
Chaplain Rich Stoglin, president of the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County in Texas, told Newsweek he supports the state's GOP Governor Greg Abbott’s approach, saying that data centers coming into the state should “have a plan” and be prevented from using eminent domain.
“There are people in this state who have been ranchers, farmers for five, six, eight generations, and they don’t want any of their land taken away from them because of some idea,” he said. “Data centers are great if they are cooperative, if they do exactly what the governor says.”
Rachal Hisler, an alternate delegate from Anahuac, Texas, told Newsweek that data center development is already happening and that legislators need to be “smart about” how they approach the issue.
“It doesn’t have to be bad,” she said. “It can be absolutely a positive thing.”
She said she believes there shouldn’t be a “one size fits all” approach to data centers, and that there should be some policy at the federal level on the matter, but that state and local governments should also have a play in data center policy.
Trump’s AI Embrace Clashes With Many MAGA Voters
Trump has often embraced rapid development of AI and data centers, warning that communities that push back on them could face economic consequences.
“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” Trump wrote in an August 31, 2026, post on Truth Social.
His administration has broadly been pro-AI development, and Republican leaders in Washington have not moved to regulate the rapidly developing technology.
There has been some action from the White House. In June, Trump signed an executive order calling for technology companies to submit AI models for government review 30 days before release. He wrote in the order that AI could make the U.S. stronger but also poses national security threats.
But the president’s vocal support for data centers hasn't always meshed with some of his conservative base, as some Republicans oppose their development, according to recent polling data.
A plurality of Republicans said they believe data centers are going to be bad for the country in a recent poll from YouGov and The Economist.
It found that 39 percent of Republicans said data centers would be bad for the country, while only 31 percent said they would be good. Only 28 percent said they would support a data center being built in their community.
The poll surveyed 1,592 adults from August 28 to August 31, 2026.
Data Centers Become Political Minefield
Overall, 51 percent of Americans said that data centers are bad for the country, and only 20 percent said they are good, according to the YouGov poll.
Only 19 percent would like to see a data center built in their community. Sixty percent said they believe data center construction would increase their electricity bill, while 46 percent said they think it would decrease home values.
The poll also found that more Americans trust Democrats than Republicans to handle data centers. Thirty-seven percent said they trust Democrats on the issue, while 30 percent said they trust Republicans. Among independents, a critical group in the midterms, only 14 percent trusted Republicans more on the issue.
Some Republicans Pave Different Path
Not all Republicans are mirroring Trump’s position on data centers, as several have joined calls for data center moratoriums. That includes Michigan Representative Tom Barrett, Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, Ohio Senator Jon Husted and Abbott.
The Texas governor told ABC News’ This Week in August that projects had moved forward with little consideration for residents or local government officials, and argued that moves like that contributed to voter backlash.
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"They basically dug their own grave for the problem that's been caused for them and that's why they got the backlash they deserve," Abbott said. He added that Texas has paused progress on some new data center projects while the state develops statewide standards,” he said.
Anthropic Researcher’s Warning Draws New Focus to AI Before Midterms
While data center development has become a top issue for voters, the issue of AI regulation more broadly has always become a key discussion point heading into midterms.
The topic was thrust into the spotlight this week after AI researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from his role at Anthropic and warned that he believes AI could “kill us all by the end of the decade.”
“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible—but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger,” he wrote.
His post had been viewed more than 157 million times on X and has sparked calls for Congress to take action on AI. Data centers have been a major midterm issue for months, as it plays into the broader affordability theme Democrats have emphasized on the campaign trail, but his warning has brought to the forefront discussion on broader AI regulation to quell concerns about its impact.
Democrats have pledged to take action if they win in November.
“RIGHT NOW frontier AI models can pose catastrophic risks. Risks from AI models will continue to increase over time. What is the trump Administration’s response? NOTHING OTHER THAN VOLUNTARY SUGGESTIONS. Ridiculous. November is coming,” Representative Ted Lieu, a California Democrat wrote on X.
Republicans have also called for action, with Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida posting on X that Congress should “convene a special session on AI and what the future of the U.S. looks like.” However, GOP leadership has not indicated plans to tackle the issue ahead of the midterms amid the growing concerns.
The Anti-Data Center Movement Rises
The development of data centers has been critical amid the rise in the use of AI and critics of the facilities have raised numerous concerns—including the environmental impact, water usage, higher electric bills and noise generated in communities.
The grassroots movement has already evolved and is seeing real policy changes. More than 500 jurisdictions across the U.S. have banned data center construction, according to an analysis by The Information.
The case of Jake Fortes, who lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, is one of the most viral examples that has fueled data center skepticism. He has pointed to ongoing noise pollution due to the cooling systems and infrastructure at the center run all day and night.
“It’s like just putting a jet engine next to you in bed,” Fortes previously told Newsweek, describing how surges in noise can wake him during the night.
Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation at the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch, told Newsweek in April that leaders have been “caught completely off guard” by the industry.
“It has yet to be determined if—not how—this industry can ever operate in a manner that sufficiently protects people and society from the profusion of inherent hazards and harms that hyperscale data centers bring wherever they appear,” he said.
What Happens Next
Data centers remain a key issue shaping the midterms. The industry faces mounting calls for regulation, but Trump and Republican leaders have not signaled new support for regulations. Democrats have said they would tackle the issue as a priority if they win the midterms in November.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Geoffrey Rowland.
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