The Results Are In: Voters Hate Data Centers
Wired · Vittoria Elliott, Molly Taft ·
From high-profile Senate races to local rezoning initiatives, data centers and their supporters did miserably on the ballot in the 2026 midterms.
Elsewhere, two separate Republicans named Derek and Derrick, whose Democratic opponents labeled them “Data Center Derek” and “DC Derrick,” suffered losses in House races in Ohio and Wisconsin, respectively.
As part of last night’s shocking blue tsunami, voters selected candidates with tough policies on data centers at all levels of government in a clear rebuke to the industry’s buildout in states across the country. Almost a quarter of all voters told NBC News that data centers were “crucial” to their vote, while nearly two-thirds said it was either a major or minor factor.
“The revolt against data centers was one of the top issues of the 2026 election, and in a few years we will look back on it as just the early tremor of a much bigger AI earthquake upending American politics,” Greg Casar, a Texas Democratic congressman, said in a statement.