How backlash against data centres could shape the US midterm elections

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs was one such proponent - until public pressure pushed her to the other side of the issue. In July, she enacted a three-year pause on any new tax break given to a company for a data centre project.Arizona is far from the only state to see politicians react to data centre backlash.Abdul El Sayed, a Democrat running for Senate in Michigan, made new rules and regulations for data centres a clear part of his successful primary campaign for Senate.In the race for governor of Georgia, a Democrat who is calling for a pause on data centre development is in a dead heat with a Republican who disagrees. Republican Senator John Husted of Ohio, who is fighting to keep his seat against Democrat Sherrod Brown, has also had to shift his position. Recent polls, external have found that the majority of Ohio voters oppose data centres. He has softened his support, saying that their arrival should be up to local citizens and elected officials. Meanwhile, Brown has stumped on his opposition to new data centres. He leads Husted in recent polls.Husted's trouble in Ohio led the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the major fundraising arm for conservatives in the Senate, ...