GOP wrestles with rising data center backlash weeks before midterms

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The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 30, 2026

The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 30, 2026

Republicans are growing increasingly worried that data centers are a liability in the midterms, as concerns over higher power bills tied to the facilities turn into a pocketbook issue for voters.

The debate over the issue was on full display Wednesday, after Senate Democrats blocked legislation championed by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) — who is in a competitive reelection bid against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) — that would require states and some electric utilities to consider a standard under which data centers would have to pay for additional costs caused by their large power demand.

The stalled legislation puts Republicans in a political bind as they seek to address voter concerns over data centers while navigating the White House’s embrace of the facilities. President Trump touted data centers during a meeting with tech CEOs on Tuesday, saying they “are going to be very popular.”

Lawmakers are poised to take a second crack at seeking to ensure data center energy costs aren’t passed down to consumers, but it likely won’t be taken up until after the November elections.

“Politicians in both parties are now figuring out that the voters expect them to either oppose data center expansion or to have … some very, very serious checks on how they’re going to be built out, and it is a box that has to be checked correctly, or it can........

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