Voters in Ohio and Beyond Reject Data Center Expansion

Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2026. Voters in Cuyahoga County and across the United States turned against the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure on Nov. 3. An NBC exit poll determined that 56% of people who cast ballots said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their decision. Democrats outspent Republicans in broadcast advertising, spending more than $100 million to portray their opponents as too friendly with Big Tech. This strategy helped Democrats win key races in Ohio, Kansas, and Iowa.

Local and regional results reflected a growing resistance to large-scale data center projects. In Cuyahoga County, Senator-elect Sherrod Brown defeated J.D. Husted by five percentage points. Brown ran millions of dollars in advertisements labeling Husted the face of data centers in Ohio. The National Republican Senatorial Committee acknowledged in an August memo that Husted's ties to the industry were a liability, calling data centers an anchor around his neck.

Beyond the state legislature, voters acted directly against local officials. Mayors in Piqua, Ohio, and Yukon, Oklahoma, were recalled from office for their previous support of data center initiatives. Counties from Edgewater, Florida, to Bloomington, Illinois, passed bans or moratoriums on new data center construction. These measures signal a shift in how local governments approach industrial development and zoning approvals.

Campaign finance data revealed that money from the AI industry did not secure victories for accelerationist candidates. Darline Graham, a candidate backed by pro-AI super PACs, lost to Annie Andrews. Andrews campaigned on a two-year moratorium on new projects and nicknamed her opponent Data Center Darline. Pro-safety groups outspent accelerationist PACs in several key districts, helping candidates like Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed and Colorado's Manny Rutinel win their races.

Elon Musk was the largest donor in the cycle, contributing $446 million. Of that total, $168 million supported Ken Paxton in Texas. Paxton lost to James Talarico, who campaigned against sweetheart tax deals for Big Tech. Meanwhile, Anthropic contributed more than $40 million to the pro-safety group Public First Action. That money was restricted from direct election activities, but Anthropic employees donated an additional $5 million to support specific campaigns.

Polling by the progressive research firm Blue Rose Research indicates that Americans would rather live near a prison or a nuclear power plant than an AI data center. Ali Mortell, the firm's director of research, noted that existential concerns about AI are growing, but local impacts like higher energy bills and noise drive voter sentiment more strongly. An October Politico poll found that nearly half of Americans identify Republicans as the party most eager to build data centers, though Democrats also faced backlash in some races.

AI deepfakes circulated on social media but did not appear to change the outcome of major races. In Maine, Senator-elect Troy Jackson won by more than seven percentage points despite a deepfake video showing him threatening staff. In Wisconsin, candidate Derrick Van Orden lost after posting deepfake videos of his opponent. Brendan Steinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI, said voters clearly supported safety and security over unchecked expansion. He expects a large number of new bills at the state and federal levels in the coming months.