With nearly $87 million spent on political advertising mentioning data centers, the industry’s growing community opposition is now taking center stage in the 2026 midterm elections.
Milldam’s Adam Waitkunas recently spoke with Bisnow for its article, “Political Campaigns Have Spent $87M Making Data Centers A TV Villain,” examining how data center development has become a major political issue in races across the country.
According to advertising analytics firm AdImpact, political campaigns and outside groups have spent $86.5 million on ads mentioning data centers since July, with advertisements appearing in 38 states. Candidates from both parties are increasingly using concerns about electricity costs, water consumption, land use and industry incentives to challenge their opponents.
Speaking with Bisnow, Adam emphasized that the political backlash is largely a response to growing opposition at the local level.
“They’re seeing all these folks in local communities rise up and make a lot of noise about it. It’s an issue that candidates have been able to grab onto as they try to make a name for themselves in this election. And the polling supports that.”
Waitkunas also pointed to the growing number of communities adopting preemptive moratoria and other restrictions, even where no data center projects have been proposed.
The broader takeaway for the industry is that Election Day is unlikely to bring an end to community pushback. As local opposition increasingly shapes political campaigns and public policy, developers and operators will need to place greater emphasis on early, transparent and meaningful community engagement to rebuild trust.
Read the full article at Bisnow: https://www.bisnow.com/news/national/data-center-community-relations/data-centers-have-become-a-tv-villain-on-the-midterm-campaign-trail
