Red, White and Who? The Anti-AI Voters
AI data centers have emerged as a major election issue in battleground states like Ohio, scrambling traditional political alignments as voters blame whichever party they hold responsible for the facilities. Long-time Republican voter Brandon Bernard is switching his support to Democrats over data center concerns, while politicians from both parties struggle to respond to widespread voter backlash over environmental, utility cost, and transparency issues.
Summary
This episode of The Journal's "Red, White & Who" series examines how AI data centers have become an unexpected flashpoint in midterm elections, particularly in Ohio where over 200 data centers have been built in recent years. The episode opens with Brandon Bernard, a 37-year-old Republican executive chef in Petaskala, Ohio, who has decided to vote for Democrat Sherrod Brown in the Senate race—a dramatic reversal from his previous support for Republican candidates, including Trump. Bernard's shift is motivated entirely by opposition to data centers, which have transformed his hometown from farmland into sprawling facilities operated by Google, Amazon, and Meta.
Reporter Cam McWhorter documents widespread voter concerns about data centers, including worries about water depletion, loss of farmland, electricity bill increases (some residents report bills doubling since the boom), lack of transparency in planning, and constant noise from facility cooling systems. A Wall Street Journal poll found that 62% of Americans support a pause on data center construction.
The political landscape has become unusual because both parties spent years supporting tech industry growth. Republican Senator John Husted, who was appointed to fill J.D. Vance's seat in 2024, actively recruited data centers while serving as Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor, appearing at a 2019 Google data center groundbreaking. He is now trying to rebuild trust by proposing the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would prevent electricity rates from rising due to data centers, though the bill has stalled in the Senate with Democrats arguing it lacks enforcement mechanisms.
Democrat Sherrod Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024 and is now running to reclaim it, has made data centers central to his campaign strategy in recent months, releasing attack ads blaming Husted as "the face of data centers in Ohio" for providing $2.5 billion in tax subsidies. Brown initially celebrated Amazon's data center investment in 2015 but now positions himself as leading the charge against the infrastructure's negative effects.
The issue has created unexpected political tensions, including friction with construction unions that have benefited from data center building projects but endorsed Brown. Trump's recent visit to Ohio added complexity to the Republican position by arguing that America needs data centers and emphasizing the economic opportunities, contrasting with Husted's more cautious approach.
About this episode
“Red, White and Who?” The Journal’s election mini-series is back to cover the midterms. Every Wednesday for the next five weeks, Ryan Knutson talks with reporters around the country about issues important to voters. This week: in Ohio, a backlash against AI data centers is scrambling old political loyalties. WSJ’s Cameron McWhirter and producer Matt Kwong travel across the state, where some Republicans say the issue is changing how they view the Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted. Further Listening:- A Data Center Offered $26 Million for Her Land. She Said No. - A Data Center Revolt in Missouri Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Key Insights
- 62% of Americans support putting a pause on building data centers according to a Wall Street Journal poll, indicating substantial public concern about AI infrastructure expansion.
- John Husted actively recruited data centers as Ohio's Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor, appearing at groundbreaking ceremonies and promoting Ohio as the 'tech hub of the Midwest,' but now faces voter backlash against the same infrastructure he championed.
- Brandon Bernard, a lifelong Republican voter and Trump supporter who flew a MAGA flag, is voting for Democrat Sherrod Brown solely because of data center opposition, exemplifying how the issue is scrambling traditional party alignments rather than fitting neatly into existing ideological divides.
- Sherrod Brown's campaign message on data centers has intensified significantly in recent months, with data centers becoming central to his attack ads against Husted only after voters' concerns elevated the issue, suggesting candidates are responding to grassroots outrage rather than leading on it.
- Donald Trump's statement that 'America needs' data centers and that they'll go to China if rejected presented a different Republican message than Husted's Ratepayer Protection Act, revealing divisions within the party on how to address voter concerns about the infrastructure.
Topics
Transcript
Hey guys, the midterms are here, and our special election series, Red, White, and Who, is back. For the next four weeks, we'll be bringing you to four places around the country, looking at four issues that are shaping four important races. Episodes will come out every Wednesday morning up until the election. And after the results come in, we'll be there to help make sense of it. Alright, our first stop is Ohio. Here we go. So when you were a kid, this was just farmland? Yeah, yeah. When I was a kid, none of this was here. Brandon Bernard is giving a tour of his hometown of Petaskala in central Ohio. So here is Intel. This is Google…
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