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A grassroots backlash against data centers is reshaping local and national politics in Ohio and other states, providing an unexpected opening for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. As tech companies rapidly build cloud-computing infrastructure to power artificial intelligence, rural and suburban residents have organized resistance groups over concerns about water usage, noise pollution, soaring energy costs, and a lack of transparency.
Community Resistance and Political Shifts in Ohio
In Grove City, Ohio, residents Patty Spillman and Jen Belt co-lead a local advocacy group called Protect Grove City to fight a proposed 310-acre data-center campus by Texas-based Headwaters Site Development. Spillman, a Republican, and Belt, a Democrat, have mobilized neighbors against the project on farmland located roughly 10 miles outside Columbus. Community pushback previously led the Grove City council to enact a yearlong moratorium on data-center construction, and voters will decide in November on a proposal requiring voter approval for all large developments. Longtime Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage and other local leaders oppose the ballot initiative, warning that it will hinder economic growth.
According to TIME, similar resistance is spreading across Ohio, which hosts roughly 200 data centers. A Bowling Green State University survey from September indicated that nearly 80% of Ohioans support a data-center moratorium, while a national Gallup poll in May found over 70% of voters oppose building AI data centers locally. More than 100 local governments in the state have reportedly enacted moratoriums, and at least 10 will vote in November on adding data-center bans to their charters. Republicans like former county GOP chair Nick Owens acknowledge that the groundswell of opposition has created a rare political opening for Democrats in the state.
Congressional and Gubernatorial Races
Democratic candidates are connecting data-center opposition to broader voter concerns about economic inequality, the future of democracy, and rising utility bills. Analytics firm AdImpact reports that $137.6 million has been spent on broadcast ads regarding data centers this election cycle, with Democrats accounting for 77% of that spending. In Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Democratic candidate Don Leonard is challenging Republican incumbent Mike Carey. Leonard capitalized on local anger surrounding Meta’s secretive plans to build a $1 billion campus in Piqua, where residents launched a successful recall petition against the mayor and officials over the deal and subsequent city bonuses. Leonard’s internal polling showed over 70% of likely voters want greater control over data-center locations.
In the Senate race, former Senator Sherrod Brown has made data centers a cornerstone of his campaign, criticizing Republican opponent Jon Husted for his role as lieutenant governor in providing an estimated $2.5 billion in state tax incentives for data centers between 2017 and 2024. Husted campaign spokesperson Amy Natoce defended the incentives as a boost to the economy while calling Brown’s critiques hypocritical given his past praise for an Amazon Web Services project in 2015. Husted is now sponsoring a Senate bill to make data centers pay for electrical-system upgrades, which was blocked by Democrats. Recent polling shows tight races, with Democrats outperforming expectations in several right-leaning states where voters trust them more on the data-center issue.
Broader Impact and Future Uncertainty
Similar political flashpoints are emerging in other states, such as Texas, where Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton have both proposed tighter restrictions, and Governor Greg Abbott imposed a temporary moratorium on new data centers. In Iowa, data centers are a central issue between Democratic nominee Josh Turek and Republican nominee Ashley Hinson. Meanwhile, tech companies and developers defend the projects, arguing they bring permanent jobs and tax revenue while covering their own energy and infrastructure costs. As the November elections approach, local leaders like Mayor Stage face heightened political uncertainty as communities grapple with the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
