Source: Pewresearch
Data center construction has become a genuine political liability, with 57% of October political ads explicitly opposing them versus just 3% in favor—a 19-to-1 opposition ratio. The infrastructure required to power AI and cloud computing is hitting a siting crisis in real communities. Localized resistance to power demands, real estate consumption, and water usage is materializing as concrete campaign messaging. Both major parties are discovering electoral risk in backing the physical buildout that makes the connected world function.