'Cost Me the Election': Data Centers Trigger Voter Backlash [View all]

Source: Newsweek

Published Jun 25, 2026 at 05:47 AM EDT updated Jun 25, 2026 at 05:55 AM EDT


A wave of voter anger over massive data center projects is beginning to reshape U.S. politics, with local officials and senior lawmakers losing elections after backing controversial developments tied to the artificial intelligence boom.

In Utah on Wednesday, State Senate President J. Stuart Adams—one of the most powerful Republicans in the state—lost his primary election after supporting a major data center development near the Great Salt Lake, in one of the clearest signs yet of the growing political risks tied to the industry.

At the local level, the fallout was just as direct. “Do I think that the data center vote cost me the election? Yes I do,” former Box Elder County Commissioner Lee Perry said after conceding his primary race, after voting to advance the same project.

The defeats of Adams and multiple county officials tied to the proposal suggest that opposition to data centers is no longer confined to planning disputes—but is emerging as a voting issue capable of reshaping elections.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/cost-me-the-election-data-centers-trigger-voter-backlash-12118327