Anti-data center populism is reshaping American politics, with opposition to data center construction becoming a popular position for candidates. Will Lawrence, the Sunrise Movement cofounder running for Congress in Michigan’s Seventh District, won his primary on Tuesday, targeting “tech billionaires” in his first major TV ad. Abdul El-Sayed, running for Senate in Michigan, used an under-construction OpenAI data center as a rally backdrop. Justin Pearson, a progressive candidate in Memphis, won his Congressional primary after making fighting xAI’s data center construction a centerpiece of his campaign. Musk began building data centers in Memphis—and gas turbines to power them—in 2024. The backlash is not strictly a Democratic-party issue, drawing on populism and suspicion of big companies. Opposition to data center buildout is nearly as high among Republicans as Democrats. As the industry group Data Center Watch reported in 2025, 55 percent of politicians who have taken public anti-data-center stances are Republicans. About seven in ten Americans now oppose the idea of a data center being built near them. In staunchly red states like Texas and Utah, politicians like Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller are warning that those who won’t act on data centers might lose their races.