What we know
What we know: Data centers took a beating in the midterm elections. A reckoning may be ahead for tech giants
Compiled Nov 6
What we know
- 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
- OpenAI published a framework outlining new commitments to communities where it builds data centers
- Redbud Consulting tracked 47 referendums in 44 municipalities across 12 states, with restrictions approved in 44 of 45 completed elections
What we don’t know yet
- Wisconsin Gov.-elect Crowley said he is still having discussions about what he'll propose once he takes office
- Whether President Trump will stall any federal crackdown on data centers is uncertain, per the article
- A Data Center Coalition official said there 'are going to be real world consequences' of moratoriums, without specifying what they will be
Open questions
- What specific data center regulations will the new Democratic governors actually implement?
- Will President Trump intervene to block state-level data center restrictions?
- How will the data center industry respond to the moratoriums many winners pledged?
- Will the stock market's AI-related slump worsen if more data center projects are delayed?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.