From Bernie Sanders to Ron DeSantis, politicians across the spectrum are turning against the infrastructure powering the AI boom.

Data centers have pulled off a rare feat in American politics: putting Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis on the same side, all while becoming less popular neighbors than nuclear power plants.

As the facilities spread to meet the demands of AI and cloud computing, opposition has spread with them. Politicians across the ideological spectrum are calling for pauses, tighter construction rules, and protections against higher utility costs.

And in several of this year’s biggest races, candidates from both parties are competing to show voters who can be tougher on the industry.

Here’s what’s driving the backlash – and how it’s scrambling the politics around it.

The Ideological Map

As the chart above shows, the opposition to data centers runs the ideological gamut. This is far from an exhaustive list – but the coalition already stretches from the progressive left to the populist right, with plenty in between.

But there are varying degrees of opposition.

Some favor an outright ban – often called a “moratorium” – on constructing new data centers. Others would continue allowing data centers to be built but impose tighter rules governing where they can be located and how much water or energy they can use. The comparatively moderate position generally allows development to continue while requiring data center operators to cover more of the additional energy and grid costs their facilities create.

Looking at the differences in degree, some familiar ideological patterns reappear.

The progressive left is more likely to favor outright bans, with Sen. Bernie Sanders becoming the first member of Congress to support a data center moratorium in December 2025. A few months later, Sen. Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, which would ban the construction or renovation of all AI data centers in the U.S. indefinitely.

For Sen. Sanders, the data center debate is part of his broader argument about economic power and the technology industry. When announcing the legislation, he said policymakers “cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity.”

But moratoria are not exclusively a progressive position.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a combative Republican, called for a one-year pause on new data centers because “South Carolina families cannot afford to keep picking up the tab.” Mike Rogers, the moderate Republican Senate nominee in Michigan, also called for a one-year pause “to protect community control, prevent utility price hikes, protect our water and stop pay-to-play schemes.”

The second, more politically diverse position is to allow data center construction but place more conditions on it.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a moderate Democrat, offers one of the clearest examples. An executive order he signed in August requires data center projects to satisfy standards on energy costs, water conservation, transparency, community engagement, and local approval. Projects are also excluded from the state’s fast-track permitting process.

Similar proposals from politicians in both parties focus on local veto power, water-use requirements, environmental safeguards, and greater disclosure from developers. A rallying cry for Republicans, especially more populist types like Rep. Thomas Massie and Texas AG and Senate candidate Ken Paxton, is to prevent data centers from being built on farmland and in rural areas.

The final, more moderate position is focused primarily on who pays.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has backed separate rate structures so data centers cover the transmission and distribution costs associated with their electricity demand.

Republican Sen. Jon Husted has taken a similar approach at the federal level. His bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act would encourage states to charge data centers – instead of households – for the costs of new electricity generation, transmission lines, and other infrastructure needed to connect them to the grid.

Where the Public Stands

The political convergence makes more sense when viewed alongside public opinion.

A Gallup poll released in May found that 71% of Americans oppose construction of an AI data center in their area, including 48% who strongly oppose it.

The opposition cuts across party lines, including:

• 75% of Democrats
• 74% of independents
• 63% of Republicans

The opposition has gotten so strong that more Americans would rather live next to a nuclear power plant than a data center:

When Gallup asked people why they opposed data centers, respondents mostly pointed to:

• Resource use (50%), including concerns about water consumption and the large quantities of electricity needed to operate the facilities.
• Quality-of-life concerns (22%), such as traffic, development, land use, population growth, or other changes to the surrounding community.
• Costs (20%), especially higher utility bills for families.

The Political Ramifications

Candidates in several marquee races are trying to make data centers one of the defining issues of this year’s midterm elections.

And in some cases, both major party candidates are trying to claim the anti-data center mantle.

That’s currently playing out in the Michigan Senate race, where moderate Republican Mike Rogers and progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are now running on the exact same proposal: a data center construction moratorium at the state and local – but not federal – level.

In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico wants to end tax breaks for data centers, make operators shoulder the infrastructure and grid-connection costs, and require closed-loop water systems. Talarico’s Republican opponent, AG Ken Paxton, released his data center plan this week, in a post ironically flagged by Twitter as AI-generated. Paxton also supports ending tax breaks and requiring closed-loop water systems, as well as prohibiting construction in rural areas and holding data centers criminally liable for actions taken by AI chatbots.

And in Ohio, the fight has become less about what the candidates now say should be done and more about who voters blame for the state’s data center boom. Democrat Sherrod Brown is airing television ads calling Republican Sen. Jon Husted the “face of data centers in Ohio” and accusing him of recruiting the facilities while families’ electricity bills rose. Sen. Husted, meanwhile, is pointing to his bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act as an effort to mitigate the data center buildout.

For now, the politics of data centers are less divided over whether the industry should face new rules than over how restrictive those rules should be. And as more projects move from abstract plans to proposed sites in real communities, that debate is likely to become harder for candidates in either party to avoid.