In Michigan, growing backlash over large-scale data centers has become a flashpoint in the state's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, with two candidates holding differing views on the AI boom. A survey by Emerson College, cited by Drop Site News, found that 55% of likely Michigan primary voters opposed data centers in or near their community in April, with only 27% showing support; among likely Democratic primary voters, opposition rose to 63%. Candidate Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director, has made opposition to new data centers central to his campaign against Rep. Haley Stevens, citing a lack of transparency from corporations and utilities. Stevens has promoted data centers as engines for innovation and employment, stating, "We cannot allow utility companies … to pass new costs onto consumers while these projects move forward." The debate matters because AI's growth drives demand for power-intensive data centers, raising concerns about electric bills, water consumption, and environmental pressures. A Citizens Research Council of Michigan report cited by Drop Site News said most economic benefit for communities arrives during construction, not in following years. United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain warned in April that "Corporate power brokers today want us to believe that killing millions of jobs in the name of AI will be a good thing, and the working class knows better."