Rust Belt states drive $173 million midterm ad fight over data centers

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Rust Belt midterm ad fight

Highlights

AdImpact reports $173 million spent on negative data center ads in 2024 elections, with Democrats accounting for $140 million, Republicans $28 million, and independents $5 million.
More than $95 million, over half of all data center ad spending, is clustered in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, key swing and Senate race states.
Texas leads in planned data centers and ranks fifth for ad spending at over $11 million, linking future infrastructure development to heightened political messaging.

Ad spending clusters in key election states

As reported by Axios, citing AdImpact, campaigns and outside groups have spent $173 million on almost entirely negative ads about data centers during this year's general election. Democrats account for $140 million of that total, compared with $28 million from Republicans and $5 million from independents, and the ad-tracking firm says it could not identify commercials making an overtly positive case for data centers.

More than half of all spending, about $95 million, is concentrated in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have been central swing states in recent presidential elections, while Ohio is also hosting a competitive Senate race this year.

Texas ranks fifth nationally with more than $11 million in data center-related ads. Cleanview says the state has the largest number of planned data centers in the country, linking political messaging to a market with a large future development pipeline.

AI politics reshape regional contests

Debocrats are taking a more hostile stance toward data centers and AI, while Republicans remain split on the issue. Many Republicans, including President Trump, argue the technology will create jobs and help the U.S. move faster than China, though figures such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are also calling for restrictions.

Ohio stands out as a one-sided example, with Democrats spending nearly $28 million on data center ads and Republicans spending nothing. Cleanview data cited in the report show Ohio has the fourth-highest number of operating data centers and the fifth-highest number planned, while Pennsylvania has only 16 operating sites but the nation's third-highest number of planned facilities, at 273, behind Texas and Virginia.

The issue is also spilling into local races. More than $4 million has gone into ads tied to a state legislative contest in Philadelphia's suburbs, roughly matching totals seen in some major gubernatorial and Senate races, as residents in Montgomery County push back against a planned cluster of data centers.

Our earlier article on the U.S. AI data center boom highlighted how the rapid buildout is running into rising financing costs, construction delays, and tightening power availability. It also noted that analysts view only a minority of planned projects as truly credible, as investor sentiment weakens and local communities push back against new facilities.

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