AI Data Centers Emerge as a Hot Topic for Political Ads in 2026

2026 is the year of the data center.

For anyone who’s been paying attention to politics over the past year, it’s easy to see how data centers fit into the midterms. The facilities – a key part of emerging artificial intelligence infrastructure – exacerbate voters’ already-persistent concerns about the costs of utilities, like water and electricity. 

At the same time, Americans are increasingly worried about the growth and development of AI. According to a CNN/SSRS poll released last week, nearly 9 in 10 Americans say they’re more concerned than excited about the technology’s potential, while a similar number said the same about the growing number of data centers being built to support AI. 

Campaigns, in turn, seem to be reading the room. A new analysis from the public affairs and political strategy firm Absecon Group found that more than 700 candidates this year have run digital ads centering on data centers. Spoiler alert: the vast majority of those ads aren’t keen on the facilities.

In total, 717 campaigns – ranging from statewide contests for U.S. Senate and governor’s mansions to down-ballot races for county commissions and city councils – ran ads on Meta and Google platforms mentioning data centers, according to Absecon’s analysis. Most of those campaigns – 342 – were Democratic, while 236 were Republican and another 58 were either independent, third-party or nonpartisan. 

Of the 685 campaigns whose ads took a clear stance on the issue, 636 cast data centers in a negative light or called for more regulation around the facilities. Only 10 campaigns defended data centers, the analysis found. 

The actual messages vary. In Michigan, Perry Johnson, a Republican candidate for governor who ultimately lost the primary, ran a digital ad calling for an outright moratorium on data centers in his state. In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who’s running for Senate once again, labeled his opponent, Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), as the “Face of Data Centers” in a spot.

All told, campaigns spent an estimated $3.26 million on digital ads mentioning data centers, and critics accounted for more than 99 percent of it. While most campaigns spent just small amounts – less than $500 – on such ads, a handful of campaigns went big: eight campaigns spent more than $100,000 and 38 spent over $10,000. The top five spenders account for 43 percent of all money spent on data center-focused digital ads, with Brown’s Senate campaign leading the pack at $437,238 spent on Meta and YouTube. 

The trend appears to be accelerating. According to Absecon’s analysis, 27 new campaigns went up with digital ads mentioning data centers. Just over two weeks later, that number jumped to 41. 

The data is also more of a floor than a ceiling. Absecon’s analysis only includes campaign ads on Meta platforms and YouTube. According to ad-tracking firm AdImpact, 46 advertisers ran 55 broadcast creatives in July and August – a massive increase from the 42 data center-focused ads that ran on broadcast from January through June.