"The Democratic sweep of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and public service commissioner races in Georgia offer an early glimpse of what could be a sleeper issue in the 2026 midterm elections: the politics of AI infrastructure. In Virginia, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger made data centers' outsize energy demands one of her campaign planks, calling on tech companies to pay their " fair share" to strengthen the grid."
"These wins underscore a striking new reality-that the physical infrastructure of the AI boom isn't just transforming technology or the economy. As I reported recently, massive AI data centers are also quietly reshaping local and state politics-turning once-niche zoning fights into national debates over the future of energy. The explosion of generative AI-and its insatiable demand for computing power-has transformed modest server farms into sprawling mega-complexes that can stretch across hundreds of acres, draw as much electricity as a midsize city, and guzzle millions of gallons of water."
Election outcomes in Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia show that large AI data centers have become political issues tied to energy and utility policy. Candidates campaigned on forcing tech firms to contribute to grid strengthening and to help fund grid modernization and renewables. Public service commission races turned on accusations that tech firms receive favorable deals while residents face higher electricity costs. Massive generative-AI facilities require huge electricity and water resources, transform land use, and convert zoning disputes into broader debates about public investment, tax incentives, local infrastructure, and long-term economic trade-offs.
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