The left and right agree on one thing: no data centers
Nobody talking about this: data centers just became the one issue uniting Trump voters and progressives—and it's reshaping 2028.
Why it matters
Bipartisan grassroots backlash against AI data center buildouts is fracturing traditional political coalitions and emerging as a potent local organizing force with potential to reshape electoral politics. Communities across the country are mobilizing against hyperscale facilities, signaling that public sentiment on AI infrastructure deployment may override tech-sector funding and endorsements.
The key facts
12 to knowHernando County, Florida passed yearlong moratorium on data center construction (unanimous vote)
Multiple Florida counties have passed data center moratoriums
Humans First organizer has Tea Party roots; framed as populist vs. technocrat divide, not left-right
Florida Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Byron Donalds has received significant AI industry/data center development funding; endorsement by Trump not swaying rural Trump voters opposed to data centers
Byron Donalds has shifted rhetoric from explicit data center support to 'responsible development' in response to backlash
Gov. Ron DeSantis supported bill requiring data centers pay own utilities and use reclaimed water; also pushed tax breaks for hyperscale facilities
Florida has ~100 smaller data centers but no hyperscale facilities currently
Data center protests drawing hundreds of people to county/town council meetings across multiple states (Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Arizona, Tucson)
Local governments show mixed responsiveness: some pass moratoriums, others refuse despite constituent opposition due to limited economic development alternatives
Key concerns cited: groundwater contamination, PFAS contamination, water usage, noise pollution, lack of long-term jobs (maintenance requires far fewer workers than construction), community character loss, connection to surveillance/ICE cooperation
Populist left and populist right both skeptical of tech development; contrasts with center-left/center-right technocrat consensus (e.g., Abundance Conference pro-nuclear, pro-AI stance)
Florida gubernatorial primary election in a few weeks; data center issue may influence outcome
Go to the source
The Verge AItheverge.com
Publisher excerpt: Today, I’m talking with Gaby Del Valle, a policy reporter here at The Verge, about the growing backlash against AI data centers. Gaby recently reported a fantastic piece about Hernando County, Florida, where last month the county commission unanimously approved a yearlong moratorium on data center…