Data centers got a slap in the face at the ballot box. These key votes show how.
Source: Business Insider ·
Dozens of referendums restricted data center construction, as the Democrats flipped Texas and saw big swings in Virginia's "Data Center Alley."
From the source
Gina Hinojosa became Texas' first Democratic governor in over 30 years.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesData centers got a big fat "no" from the American people on Tuesday.Dozens of local elections included referendums on their construction.Democrats broke through in Texas, which is home to hundreds of data centers.Americans don't want data centers in their backyards.That's one of the clearest messages sent at the ballot box during Tuesday's midterm elections.NBC News' exit poll found that 76% of voters would oppose the construction of a new data center in their community, and 56% said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress.As well as governors and senators who voiced opposition to data centers winning, ballots included referendums on their construction.Goldman Sachs economists said Democratic wins at the state and local levels will likely lead to "short-term data center moratoria, potentially affecting about 45% of planned US data center capacity…
BestAIBroker analysis
- Finance-aware sentiment: negative (-0.50 on a -1 to +1 scale).
- Event classification: OTHER.
- Market importance score: 28/100, weighting entity relevance, source credibility, multi-outlet coverage and recency.