61% of Americans oppose building a new data center in their community, including 54% of Republicans, according to an Annenberg survey. Into that political headwind, Build American AI, an advocacy group linked to the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, is deploying a $50 million campaign targeting Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin, while launching a new super PAC to back data-center-aligned candidates. President Trump, nine weeks from the midterms, amplified the push on Truth Social, warning that communities resisting data centers risk being "backwards and poor."
| Opposition to new local data center | Share |
|---|---|
| All Americans (Annenberg) | 61% |
| Republicans (Annenberg) | 54% |
The polling gap is the problem Trump's intervention may deepen. Republicans in key battleground states spent weeks quietly recalibrating their positions on the issue. His Truth Social post, drawing rare frustration even from MAGA followers, hands Democrats a clean line: that AI investment is a billionaire project being forced on ordinary communities. Build American AI's $50 million bet is that a jobs-and-taxes message can hold more voters than that framing takes.
The six-count case for data centers
Prominent investor Gavin Baker posted a six-part rebuttal on X. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang amplified it, as did other tech leaders.
Baker's first argument is water. Newer facilities can sharply reduce freshwater use through closed-loop cooling and recycled water; he argues those systems should be required for new projects. Second, taxes: data-center property-tax revenue can outweigh the sales-tax exemptions that have attracted criticism. Third, jobs: the buildout drives demand for electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC technicians, and contractors, making building-trade unions among the industry's most important allies. Fourth, power: Baker points to large-load tariffs and ratepayer-protection agreements as a mechanism to ensure data centers, not existing customers, pay for the generation and grid capacity they require. Fifth, environment: natural gas, renewables, and batteries can serve demand now, Baker contends, with facilities eventually moving toward solar and storage. Sixth, community economics: Baker cites Quincy, Washington, where data centers now account for more than half of the local property-tax base.
The bipartisan structure of Build American AI is part of the strategy. A pure industry-lobbying frame would reinforce the "billionaire project" critique. Pairing it with union support and community-tax arguments gives candidates in both parties room to vote yes.
Trump's "let data reign" framing may not give them that room. Fifty-four percent Republican opposition is not a small tail to convert; it is the majority of the president's own coalition. Nine weeks is the timeline.