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How Americans soured on Big Tech's favorite concrete boxes, The Biggest Loser Besides The GOP Tuesday? Data Centers
While everyone talks about the implications for the Republican Party after Tuesday's bruising defeat, there was another unsung loser on election night …
Data centers.
Voters nationwide made their disdain for the companies pushing America's AI boom crystal clear.
Ten states considered 41 local ballot measures related to data centers Tuesday. Across all 50 measures tracked in 13 states this year, 46 of the 47 decided as of Wednesday sided with the common man against the tech giants.
Ohio alone proposed 11 charter amendments restricting data centers, and by all accounts, they're all headed to victory, with some garnering over three-quarters of the vote.
The deep-pocketed industry didn't go quietly.
Tech companies contributed more than $400,000 against the local restrictions that were on the ballot in Ohio.
In Oregon, opponents of data center restrictions raised $335,000 — in a town with less than 20,000 people.
The anti-data center proponents raised a measly $4,600 bucks, and still won.
Some quick math says the pro-tech side spent about $17 a person. Maybe $20 (enough for a burrito!) would have done the trick.
That ought to give you a little bit of hope in the American electorate.
The backlash shouldn't surprise anyone.
At the Daily Caller, we've been sounding the alarm for months about the big concrete boxes full of wires being dropped across the country. American distaste for data centers has been clear long before Tuesday, despite Trump saying those of us who don't support them are choosing "poverty, crime and squalor."
Big Tech has spent years pitching AI as a miracle of technological advancement and economic prosperity. But Americans see through the facade. Who bears the burden of rising electricity bills, local water use, farmland loss, and god knows what other negative side effects? Well, the average man.
The industry also promised jobs, but except for some temporary construction jobs while the centers are being built, they don't seem to have any long-term positive impact on employment. Once data centers are up and running, they typically only demand fewer than 100 employees for a facility the size of a small town.
An October ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found 72 percent of Americans oppose building a new data center in their community, including 58 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of Independents and 81 percent of Democrats.
This isn't a byproduct of the blue tsunami, but a resounding rebuke from the American people to the tech oligarchs forcing their clankers upon us.
Americans ranked AI and data centers in their top three issues leading up to the election, according to a USC Annenberg survey. Some 77 percent said the government was doing too little to regulate data centers; on election night, voters took the problem into their own hands.
There's a larger point to be made here, one Washington would be wise to pay attention to.
They are exceptionally good at exploiting partisan divides: culture wars, personal disagreements between politicians, and lawfare, to name a few.
But they don't pay as much attention to issues Americans largely agree on: corporate accountability, reining in special interest groups, money in politics, and affordability.
The American people's clear rejection of data centers is an excellent example of what is possible when we find common ground and say no to corporate America.
Some Democrats saw that frustration and used it on the campaign trail. Whether they'll turn that electoral boost into real policy remains to be seen, but it should be a lesson to politicos everywhere: our frustrations are clear; you just have to listen.
Meanwhile, a server farm doesn't know a Republican from a Democrat, but it sure knows how to run up your electric bill. And when the everyday man bears the burden, we can find common ground, even when Washington's political machine can't.
— From The Editors' Desk
EXCLUSIVE: Trump 'Will Never Allow For Mass Amnesty' After Floating Working With Dems On Immigration — Ashley Brasfield, Daily Caller
Following some late-night election calls into Fox News, conservatives were scratching their heads at the president's intentions when he signaled he'd be willing to work with congressional Democrats on immigration. The vice president's post-election diagnosis calling for stronger immigration enforcement added to the mixed signals. The Daily Caller's Ashley Brasfield digs into the Trump White House's approach to immigration once Democrats regain control of Congress in January.
Department Of War's Absurd Answer To Blue Tsunami: A Podcast About How Much Brad Cooper Loves French Fries — John Loftus, Daily Caller
In the midst of a costly war hurting Americans at the pump, the Pentagon has unveiled its latest gift to the American people: a podcast. And not just any podcast: a sit-down with the top military brass running point on the Iran War. The subject matter? Adm. Brad Cooper's love for French fries. Read more from the Daily Caller's own John Loftus as he dives into the absurdity of it all.
Republicans Know They Got an 'Ass Kicking,' But Not What to Do About It — Igor Bobic, Al Weaver, The Washington Sun
The blame game has begun, and the justifications are … wide-ranging. Republicans across the country are offering up their best guess as to why the GOP endured one of the worst election nights in history; some say Trump's obsession with his ballroom, others say gas prices, or maybe tariffs. Igor Bobic and Al Weaver at The Washington Sun break down the myriad explanations coming from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
College Republicans' Populist Faction Makes Stunning Break With Trump Over Midterms, Broken Promises — John Loftus, Daily Caller
Tuesday night was a reckoning for Republicans and one of the largest groups of young conservatives is making their post-election diagnosis clear. The College Republican Patriot Coalition blamed the losses squarely on President Trump and the Republican Party. The letter included dozens of signatories from across the country. The Caller's John Loftus breaks down their message to the president and what young conservative voters writ large are taking away from election night.
The 2026 Trump Collapse: Anatomy Of A Republican Disaster — Ryan Girdusky, Daily Wire
Most Republicans will have their names floated in the post-election blame game; consultant Ryan Girdusky makes sure President Trump is on that list in his latest Daily Wire op-ed. From the Iran War to tariffs and disastrous candidates, Girdusky argues that the commander-in-chief spent the last year and a half dismantling the very coalition that put him in the White House just two years ago.
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