Millions Pour into Political Streams to Support AI Data Centres
As political fights over artificial
intelligence accelerate, there is now a super PAC
aligned with the data center industry. Its first bet
is on Ms. Graham, a Republican in an unexpectedly tight race.
·
First major electoral push: The US
data centre industry is beginning to spend heavily on elections to counter
growing public opposition to data centre construction and the rapid expansion
of artificial intelligence (AI).
·
$1.5 million campaign in South Carolina: A new
industry-aligned super PAC, Building
the Future, has reserved $1.5 million in advertising to support
Republican Senator Darline Graham in her contest against Democratic challenger
Dr. Annie Andrews.
·
Tight Senate race: Graham,
appointed after her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, died in the summer, is
seeking a full term. Her seat was previously considered safely Republican, but
growing Democratic strength and divisions following a Republican primary have
made the contest more competitive.
·
Candidates take opposing positions:
o
Darline Graham (Republican): Opposes
a moratorium on data centre construction, arguing that halting projects would
give China an advantage in the AI race. She also supports local community
involvement.
o
Dr. Annie Andrews (Democrat): Strongly
opposes data centre expansion and has called for a two-year moratorium
on new projects. She has dubbed Graham “Data Center
Darline.”
·
Advertising avoids the controversial issue: Building
the Future has launched two advertisements supporting Graham, highlighting her
work as commissioner of a state agency for blind residents without directly
mentioning data centres.
·
Industry seeks greater political influence: Building
the Future aims to expand its influence during the 2028 election cycle and
beyond. It was established by political operatives associated with Leading the Future, a super PAC that
has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting pro-AI candidates.
·
Broader industry mobilisation: The
National Republican Senatorial Committee has warned Republicans that opposition
to data centres could become a significant electoral liability. It specifically
highlighted Senator Jon Husted's competitive race in Ohio.
·
$7 million promotional campaign: A
nonprofit group linked to Building the Future, Build American AI, launched an advertising campaign worth
approximately $7 million, primarily targeting Ohio, Kansas and Wisconsin
to promote the data centre industry.
·
Other industry-backed groups enter the campaign: The
Meta-funded American Edge Project
and Infrastructure for America,
a group backed by four data centre developers, have also begun advertising to
defend the industry.
·
Public opinion remains divided: Some
voters view data centres as essential infrastructure for maintaining US
technological leadership over China. Others oppose them strongly enough to
consider voting against otherwise preferred Republican candidates.
·
Political risk for Republicans: The
growing controversy threatens Republican candidates in competitive races, as
resistance to data centres increasingly cuts across party lines. Some
Republican voters are concerned about their construction, while others support
the projects on national security and economic grounds.
·
Trump acknowledges community concerns: At a
rally in South Carolina, President Donald Trump suggested that data centres
would be more popular if nearby residents received payments to compensate them
for the inconvenience. The audience reportedly responded with silence,
highlighting the political sensitivity of the issue.
Key
Takeaway
The US data centre industry is
entering electoral politics with substantial financial backing to protect AI
infrastructure expansion. Its immediate objective is to support
pro-data-centre candidates, particularly Republicans facing competitive races.
However, growing public resistance could make data centre development a
significant political issue in the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 election
cycle.
In
a preview of political fights to come over artificial intelligence, the data center industry is starting to spend money on elections for
the first time.
The
industry faces growing resistance. Data centers have
become a symbol of voters’ anxiety over the rapid development of A.I., and
polling shows that wide numbers of Americans are uncomfortable with their
construction.
Now,
the industry is pushing to assert its power. Its first goal: electing Senator
Darline Graham, a Republican, to a full term in South Carolina, where she is in
an unexpectedly tight race against Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democrat.
This
month, a new super PAC aligned with the data center
industry has reserved $1.5 million worth of advertising to help Ms. Graham. The
spending is most likely the tip of the iceberg for the super PAC, Building the
Future, which is aiming to exert more influence in the 2028 election cycle and
beyond.
“Candidates
who make the case that A.I. infrastructure investment will bring good-paying
jobs, economic opportunity, and new revenue to local communities, while putting
responsible protections in place and earning local support, will win races,”
said Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the group. “Building the Future will be there
to help tell that story.”
The
data center industry has reason to defend Ms. Graham,
a first-time politician who was appointed after her brother, Senator Lindsey
Graham, died this summer. Her seat was considered safely Republican until
polling showed Democrats gaining strength across the country, and a bitter
special Republican primary election this summer left some Republican voters skeptical of Ms. Graham’s credentials.
Dr.
Andrews has fiercely opposed data center
developments. She has called for a two-year moratorium on new projects and
nicknamed Ms. Graham “Data Center Darline.”
Ms.
Graham has been friendlier toward the industry. She has tried to walk a line
between framing data center development as a national
security priority in a technological race against China, while stressing the
need for community involvement. She has opposed moratoriums, arguing that
halting construction would give China a dangerous advantage in artificial intelligence.
She has also expressed support for local control over such projects.
“Sen.
Graham trusts the people of South Carolina more than Washington politicians and
believes America will beat China in any technological race,” T.W. Arrighi, a
spokesman for Ms. Graham, said in a statement.
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To
help Ms. Graham, the data center super PAC has
started airing two ads on her behalf. Neither of them mentions data centers, instead highlighting her work as commissioner of a
state agency for blind residents.
Ms.
Graham has lagged far behind Dr. Andrews in fund-raising. Since beginning to
run ads on Oct. 17, Building the Future has been the second largest pro-Graham
advertiser in the state, according to the media-tracking firm AdImpact.
Building
the Future was created by the people who run a super PAC that supports the A.I.
industry called Leading the Future. That group has spent tens of millions on
pro-A.I. candidates. But after months in which candidates have attacked data centers specifically, the political operatives behind
Leading the Future wanted an advocacy organization more narrowly focused on
supporting candidates who vocally favor data centers. Building the Future has not yet disclosed any of
its donors.
The
super PAC was announced less than two weeks after the National Republican
Senatorial Committee practically begged the data center
industry to come to the defense of Republicans in the
midterms. In a remarkable memo, the committee singled out Senator Jon Husted, a
Republican facing a close race in Ohio, saying that data centers
had “become a sleeper issue” and that the “toxic” data center
industry “will be blamed” if he loses.
Two
weeks after that memo, a nonprofit group tied to Building the Future, Build
American AI, began a roughly $7 million ad campaign promoting the data center industry, primarily in Ohio and two other states
where the issue threatens to be an anvil for Republicans, Kansas and Wisconsin
Last
month, two other A.I.-linked nonprofit groups, the Meta-funded American Edge
Project and a new group backed by four data center
developers, Infrastructure for America, started spending on advertising to
defend the industry.
Already,
South Carolina has offered a preview of voters’ views of data centers.
Glenda
Brady, 68, lives in Spartanburg County, a community with a huge data center under construction.
“They’re
here to stay, and frankly, we need them,” said Ms. Brady, who is a volunteer
with the county Republican Party. “We don’t need for China to have them, that’s
for sure.”
But
Pamela Miller, 55, who identifies as a “hard-core Republican,” said she would
vote for Dr. Andrews next week in part because of Ms. Graham’s stance on data centers. She said she would not vote for a Republican “if
they back data centers.”
At
a rally last week at a livestock facility about an hour from the construction
site of a new data center, President Trump said data centers would be “so popular” if nearby residents received paychecks for the inconvenience.
It
was one of the few moments in an otherwise energetic rally that the crowd went
quiet.