> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.gridlinedaily.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Voters turned on AI and data centers in the midterms, exit polls show - URL: https://www.gridlinedaily.com/voters-turned-on-ai-and-data-centers-in-the-midterms-exit-polls-show/ - Published: 2026-11-10T20:25:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-10T20:32:39.000Z - Description: More than half called AI and data centers a major factor in their vote, though corruption and cost of living ranked far higher. - Author: Gridline Staff - Tags: Data Centers, Policy Data centers went from a zoning dispute to a campaign issue in this year’s midterms, and exit polls suggest the opposition is broad and crosses party lines. An NBC News exit poll found 56% of voters called AI and data centers a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress. The issue still ranked last of five tested, behind government corruption at 90%, cost of living at 89%, the war in Iran at 74% and immigration enforcement at 73%, The Decoder reported. CBS News exit polls found large majorities opposed a data center in their own community, nationally and in every Senate battleground. The opposition held across urban, suburban and rural areas. It included most Republicans, who still largely voted Republican. Most voters who opposed data centers backed Democrats, CBS found. Views on data centers tracked views on AI itself. Most voters told CBS that AI does more harm than good, and those voters were the most opposed to a facility nearby. **How it played in the races** Democrats leaned into the issue. The party spent more than $100 million on broadcast ads tying Republicans to Big Tech and data centers, according to TIME. Ohio was the clearest test. Democrat Sherrod Brown made data centers central to his campaign and beat Republican Sen. Jon Husted by about five points. A Republican campaign committee memo in August had warned that data centers were a serious drag on Husted, TIME reported. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews, who called for a two-year moratorium on new projects, defeated Republican Darline Graham, who had backing from data center super PACs. In Wisconsin, Democrat Rebecca Cooke unseated Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. Industry money did not turn the tide. A super PAC called Leading the Future launched last year with more than $100 million to support candidates favorable to AI. A survey cited by TIME found three-quarters of likely voters would be less likely to back a candidate who accepted AI super PAC money. The effect showed up locally too. Communities including Edgewater, Florida, and Bloomington, Illinois, passed data center bans or moratoriums, and mayors in Piqua, Ohio, and Yukon, Oklahoma, were recalled over their support for projects. What moved voters may have been close to home. Ali Mortell, research director at the progressive firm Blue Rose Research, told TIME that effects such as energy bills and noise mattered more than broader fears about AI. Her firm’s polling ranks AI 29th of 39 issues, though it has risen faster than any other over the past year. President Donald Trump has dismissed the opposition, arguing that blocking data centers would leave the country backward and poor, according to TIME. **What comes next** The fight is likely to move to the states. Democrats would still need Republican votes to override a veto in Washington, and federal regulators last month rejected a regional grid operator’s plan to set its own rules for connecting data centers, saying key parts belonged to the states. States are already acting. Maryland lawmakers plan to introduce statewide moratorium bills in January. Florida regulators last week rejected Duke Energy’s data center rate plan under a new law requiring large power users to cover their own costs. The demand is not waiting on the politics. A federal forecast released Tuesday projects record U.S. electricity use this year and next, with AI data centers as the main driver. **Sources:** [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com/exit-polls-show-ai-ranked-last-among-voter-priorities-in-the-2026-u-s-midterms/?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exit-polls-data-centers-2026-election/?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [TIME](https://time.com/article/2026/11/04/midterm-elections-results-ai-industry-data-centers/?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [Northeastern Global News](https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/11/03/midterm-election-results-analysis-2026/?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [WYPR](https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-11-09/maryland-leaders-begin-work-on-new-data-center-regulations-with-statewide-moratorium-on-the-table?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [News Service of Florida via WUSF](https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-11-04/regulators-reject-dukes-data-center-rate-structure?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [Bisnow](https://www.bisnow.com/news/national/data-center-power/federal-regulators-reject-power-cuts-to-data-centers-that-dont-bring-their-own?ref=gridlinedaily.com), [Reuters via BOE Report](https://boereport.com/2026/11/10/us-power-demand-to-beat-record-highs-in-2026-and-2027-as-ai-use-surges-eia-says/?ref=gridlinedaily.com)