Democrats Harness Data Center Backlash to Flip a Key Texas County and Expand Midterm Wins
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Targeted organizing against data center projects helped Democrat James Talarico edge out a win in Kaufman County, underscoring a broader populist backlash over energy costs, land use, and corporate power that shaped races across the country.
Democratic operatives, energized by James Talarico’s sweep across all 254 Texas counties, pointed to a pivotal victory in Kaufman County, a traditionally Republican area now burdened by two large data center projects. A pro-Talarico super PAC, Lone Star Rising PAC, mailed voters living within five miles of proposed or approved data centers, explicitly tying the projects to Republican nominee Ken Paxton. One mailer warned, “There is an existing or proposed data center near you in Kaufman County. Ken Paxton made it easier to build.”
Talarico carried Kaufman County by one percentage point, a margin that fed into his 12-point statewide victory and helped Democrats secure statewide wins in Texas for the first time since 1994. CNN’s Voter Poll found that about a quarter of voters said AI and data centers were “crucial” to their vote, while opposition to local data center construction ran about three-to-one, showing how sharply the issue resonated with ordinary residents.
Michigan Rep-elect Will Lawrence, who flipped a Republican-held House seat, said the backlash was “overwhelming, unequivocal, bipartisan” and credited part of his success to early resistance to data centers. President Donald Trump, who had backed data centers, later floated rebranding AI as “super intelligence,” a move that only reinforced how central the industry had become to the political fight.
Conservative AI policy group the Alliance for a Better Future called on Republicans to “recalibrate” ahead of 2028, pointing to the election impact of “Super Intelligence” messaging. A GOP strategist said AI and data centers are likely to become a top issue in the next presidential race, evidence that the industry’s expansion has become impossible to ignore.
Lawrence’s campaign ran a TV ad warning that “tech billionaires want to turn this whole field into a massive data center that will jack up your energy bills and ruin our home values.” Similar themes surfaced in other races, with Democrats pushing tougher restrictions or moratoriums on data centers, while some Republicans emphasized economic gains and national security arguments in defense of corporate expansion.
Data Center Coalition official Dan Diorio said the industry must do a better job showing how data centers can help with cost-of-living pressures, citing tax relief in Loudoun County, Virginia. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown called GOP incumbent Jon Husted “the face of data centers,” prompting a National Republican Senatorial Committee memo describing data centers as an “anchor hanging around Husted’s neck.” Local ballot measures in at least ten Ohio cities banned large data center construction, with Granville’s measure winning more than 80 percent support.
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican incumbent Darline Graham after branding her “Data Center Darline,” flipping a county that had voted for President Trump by 19 points. A data-center-aligned super PAC, Building the Future, spent $2.5 million backing Graham, giving opponents another opening to question her industry ties.
Other House races also featured opposition to data centers, including Democrat Mitchell Berman’s ad showing a clay pigeon labeled “Data Center” and Democrat Amish Shah’s pledge against data centers in Arizona’s 1st District. Republican Jay Feely argued that data centers are essential to the AI race against China, reflecting the pro-industry case Republicans are increasingly leaning on.
In Texas, Gov-elect Gina Hinojosa called for a moratorium on data centers until legislative protections are enacted, arguing the state can have a strong economy and a strong industry without sacrificing residents. Attorney General Ken Paxton supported limited data-center development in open spaces, a position highlighted in a pro-Talarico digital ad.
Political director Charlie Blaettler of the Guardrails Alliance said linking data-center opposition to concerns about affordability and corruption has proven effective. Looking ahead, industry-aligned super PAC Leading the Future pledged a multi-cycle effort for 2028, with spokesperson Jesse Hunt saying the group will focus on a national regulatory framework for AI.