Data centers are expensive, unpopular — and could be a tipping point in the midterms

Fifteen minutes after Susan Bourgeois was appointed to lead Louisiana Economic Development, the state agency responsible for strengthening business growth, she got her first data center pitch.

"I was pulled aside in the lobby of the Hilton hotel by the CEO of Entergy Louisiana, who said, 'We have a project and need to talk,'" Bourgeois said.

It was a proposal from Meta to build one of the largest-ever AI data centers in the world. Bourgeois jumped on it. Data centers, which are large warehouses full of servers that power parts of the internet and increasingly artificial intelligence, infuse massive amounts of capital into communities and are much needed in rural areas where populations are declining, she said. That was in 2024. Since then, the demand for AI and the colossal computing power it requires has only grown. Technology companies are building data centers across the United States at an unprecedented pace. Business demands, consumer usage and even U.S. government investment are all propelling the boom.

But the strain they place on the physical environment — from energy to the environment to aesthetics — has ignited fierce opposition in many communities across the country. It has become a voting issue for many people ahead of the midterm elections.

"It has become a kitchen table issue, and it has become a very relevant political issue," said Christabel Randolph, associate director of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, a technology nonprofit that promotes fairness and accountability.

"Tech companies coming to build in their backyard is going to increase their bills," she said, "all of those things that ordinary Americans understand as impacting their affordability."

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