Data Center Backlash Could Decide Which Party Controls the Senate

As Americans consider how to cast their votes in the midterm elections, data centers are the wedge issue in some of the most important Senate races.Republicans are in a bind, as President Donald Trump's ambitions to achieve what he terms "super intelligence" collide with widespread public opposition to data center development. Democrats have pounced on voter anxiety over how the large developments affect electric bills, water supply, and air quality in their neighborhoods.Now, many of the closest races in the Senate are in states with major data center developments, and control of the chamber is expected to hinge on a handful of those toss-up races. And many of those candidates are leaning into rapidly souring opinions on the major developments, using them as an attack line against incumbents.Recent Realtor.com® research on data centers found they're increasingly moving into rural areas. While they do affect property taxes, how they affect the average homeowner's tax burden is complicated. And while the study found no impact on property values, that data tracks only large facilities in the two years after they open.The public has become only more wary as time has gone on. A poll by...