Rising cancellations have made data centers a major midterm election flashpoint

The future of America as a high-tech superpower is at a tipping point.

The latest Fox poll shows 70% of Americans now oppose building new data centers in their communities, even though they are crucial to our future as a high-tech economy. Another report shows that 40% of new data centers have been delayed or canceled in 2026, news that’s deeply welcome to our opponents in the artificial intelligence (AI) and tech race, the Chinese Communist Party.

Data centers have become an electoral issue for the midterms, even in a red state like Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has announced a construction moratorium. It’s probably the only thing he has in common with ultra-liberal Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York: a willingness to hit the pause button on data centers.

This backlash comes despite the fact that every policymaker knows that data centers are needed to power our future economy, from AI to the internet of things and the cloud, and the only real beneficiary of a moratorium will be China. Still, the public remains unconvinced, especially when it faces a zoning proposal to build a data center half a mile from its backyard.

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