GOP Privately Warns AI Companies About Data Centers Hurting Them in Midterms: ‘Issue Will Continue to Dominate This Race’

Screenshots via Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown on Facebook.

The NRSC, National Republican Senatorial Committee, has reportedly warned AI companies in a letter that Democrats are getting ahead in the data center debate and hurting their midterm chances.

Axios’ Alex Isenstadt reported on the letter sent to top AI executives on Wednesday. The letter warns that a vital Ohio Senate seat could be up for grabs due to public concerns about AI and data centers.

The letter warns that Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who was appointed to his seat to fill a vacancy left by Vice President JD Vance, and Sherrod Brown, a former senator, are in a “dead heat” in their race, and it’s all thanks to AI.

“If [Husted] loses and data centers take the blame, politicians across the country will take notice — and they will not go near the next one,” the NRSC letter reads.

The Senate GOP campaign arm said Smith has made data centers his “de facto” opponent and called the issue the “sleeper issue” of the election.

The organization is pushing AI companies to better communicate the benefits of data centers to the public and explain “who benefits, who pays, and why a community should want one.” They said the public perception at the moment is “weak” and in need of flipping.

“Until that happens, the issue will continue to dominate this race,” they warned.

There are thousands of data centers in various stages of production across the United States and already 4,000 online. Politicians have been pushed to take stances for or against the centers amid growing fears about energy usage and AI eliminating jobs.

Brown has targeted Husted on AI data centers, with one ad calling the senator “the face of data centers in Ohio” and accusing him of “aggressively” recruiting AI companies into the state.

“The American people are still making up their minds on data centers, but the current perception is negative,” the NRSC letter reads. “Sherrod Brown has made data centers the centerpiece of his campaign, yet Ohio is still a toss-up. If Husted loses because of data centers, the industry will be blamed, and elected officials or other parties will learn a cautionary lesson.”

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