Data centers took a beating in the midterm elections. A reckoning may be ahead for tech giants

The midterm elections brought a wave of Democrats pledging to clamp down on data centers

Democrats flipped governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, many of which are data center hotspots

Campaigns spent more than $380 million on TV ads mentioning data centers, with Democrats outspending Republicans more than three to one

Data Center Watch found 32 of 34 winning governor candidates support stronger regulation or restrictions on data centers, and 12 support bans or moratoriums

During the campaign: Wisconsin Gov.-elect David Crowley changed his position to support a data center moratorium under pressure from his Republican opponent · In the campaign: Gina Hinojosa aggressively attacked Greg Abbott over his support for data centers in Texas · Election results: Democrats flipped governorships in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa, and took full state government control in five more states · Thursday: OpenAI published a framework of commitments to communities where it builds data centers · Thursday: The Nasdaq sank 11% below its all-time high amid data center construction cost worries · Thursday: Crowley told AP in an interview he is having discussions about what to propose once in office

$380 million TV ad spending · 32 of 34 governor candidates · 44 of 45 local referendums · three-quarters of U.S. voters · 11% Nasdaq decline

Wisconsin Gov.-elect Crowley said he is still having discussions about what he'll propose once he takes office