--- title: "Democrat and Republican Voters United on Key Issue: Hatred of Data Centers" description: "Conservatives and liberals alike are joining the fight against AI data centers to an astonishing degree." date: "2026-05-03" modified: "2026-05-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/democrat-republican-voters-united-data-centers" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Democrat and Republican Voters United on Key Issue: Hatred of Data Centers ![Conservatives and liberals alike are joining the fight against AI data centers to an astonishing degree.]() *Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images* Across the entire country, [small rural communities]() are [standing up]() to the rise of AI data centers, saying the enormous facilities [threaten to suck water supplies dry]() and send [electricity prices soaring](). It's become such a contentious issue that many Americans are doing something that often feels impossible in the contemporary political landscape: setting aside their often steep differences in politics to come together and oppose proposals for large-scale data centers. As the [*New York Times* reports](), conservatives and liberals alike are joining sides on the issue to an astonishing degree — a home run for any candidate willing to throw their weight behind the phenomenon. "There was stunningly little difference for our normally extremely polarized state," Marquette University Law School Poll director Charles Franklin, who recently found that [70 percent]() of Wisconsin voters say the cons of data centers outweigh the pros, told the newspaper. "This is the most bipartisan issue since beer," joked Milwaukee-based comedian Charlie Berens [during a March anti-data center rally]() in Southwest Wisconsin. In one particularly symbolic act of bipartisan cooperation, the 53-year-old administrator of the Michigan for Jesus Facebook page teamed up with a self-identified "Never-Trumper" to fight data centers in the Great Lakes State, according to the *NYT*. The massive outpouring of criticism for the building of data centers has turned into a political lightning rod, attracting the attention of lawmakers from a stunning range of political ideologies. Progressive firebrand Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who called for a [nationwide moratorium on the construction]() of new data centers last year, even joined social conservative and Trump loyalist Josh Hawley (R-MO), who introduced a bill earlier this year to effectively do the same. Beyond rising electric prices and massive water consumption, critics of AI data centers have also [questioned]() their claims of bringing new jobs to rural America. That's not to mention the [palpable backlash]() to AI tech itself, which is being used to [justify sweeping layoffs]() across industries. Many of the projects are enormous in scale and moving at a breakneck pace that has caught many residents by surprise, adding to a feeling of unease and distrust. "I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican, we’re all coming together to fight this," self-described Republican Starlet Peedle, who's been fighting a data center project in Lyon Township, Michigan, told the *NYT*. Meanwhile, some are starting to question their own political affiliation ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Ryan Wagner, a self-described MAGA Republican, who's also been fighting a data center project in Kalkaska, Michigan, teamed up with a left-leaning environmental activist to fight the project. "We’ve been foes for a long time," he told the newspaper, referring to Democrats, "but when it comes down to our backyards, we realized we are really just the same people." **More on data centers:** [*Man at City Council Meeting Makes Devastating Case Against Proposed Local Data Center*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()