Democrats seize on AI data center backlash that's dividing rural Republicans in places like Texas

By — Marc Levy, Associated Press Marc Levy, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/democrats-seize-on-ai-data-center-backlash-thats-dividing-rural-republicans-in-places-like-texas Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Democrats seize on AI data center backlash that's dividing rural Republicans in places like Texas Nation Jul 24, 2026 10:43 AM EDT AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — When Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, began her campaign last year, candidates weren't talking about — or hearing about — data centers that power artificial intelligence. But with barely three months until November's contest, the perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies could become a defining issue for her long-shot challenge to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, dividing conservative rural areas that have traditionally served as a counterweight to Democrats' urban strongholds. The backlash to energy-guzzling server warehouses is also shaping other statewide campaigns from Arizona to Ohio to New York, and even giving Democrats a glimmer of hope in Texas, where Republicans have dominated for three decades. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "There is this little issue that I recently started hearing about that I wanted to tell you about, in case you don't know," Hinojosa quipped to a Democratic Party-organized crowd of about 160 seated on fold-out chairs at an Amarillo social club in Texas' panhandle. "It's this issue of data centers." The crowd booed, and she went on: "They are owned by the richest men in the world. We're all footing the bill. There are no rules. It is the wild west of data centers." The fast growth of massive data centers has already upended races for local offices across the country, often uniting conservatives and liberals in revolting against projects in their midst. WATCH: Janesville, once a symbol of the Great Recession, becomes AI data center battleground People don't like the secrecy surrounding the projects or the prospect of air, noise, water and light pollution. They fear electric bills going up, wells going dry and losing open space, farmland or forest. Now the ripple effects have spread to top-of-the-ticket races, where incumbents and challengers are trying to show that they hear an angry electorate. WATCH: Trump expands pledge aimed at shielding consumers from energy cost hikes due to data centers In Ohio, Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown aired a television advertisement attacking Republican U.S. Sen. John Husted as the "face of data centers in Ohio" as people gather signatures for a statewide referendum to outright ban their construction. In Wisconsin, a Democratic candidate for governor, Francesca Hong, is pledging to "tax the rich, fund our schools and stop AI data centers" as she campaigns for her party's nomination in a crow