‘People really effing hate data centers’: How the AI buildout became the midterms’ affordability issue

Data center opposition has become a defining affordability issue in the 2026 midterms, with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Ohio's Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton all campaigning against the facilities, and some Republicans shifting toward their position. The backlash reflects voter concern that the AI buildout's costs—energy demand, utility bills and land use—are being passed to households rather than borne by the companies benefiting. The article's framing, captured in the quote that "people really effing hate data centers," signals that the once broadly popular AI infrastructure boom now carries political risk. The article does not specify the size of the projects or the precise electricity price increases at issue. What to watch next is whether candidates translate the hostility into concrete policy—permitting conditions, ratepayer protections or local siting rules—and whether data center developers adjust their plans in response.