Left-Wing Groups Fund Data Center Opposition as 70% of Voters Reject Projects in Their Communities
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Left-Wing Groups Fund Data Center Opposition as 70% of Voters Reject Projects in Their Communities
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Summary
Data center opposition is becoming a midterm flashpoint, with activists and allied groups pushing campaigns that are now shaping Senate and gubernatorial races in states including Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Fox News Digital cited groups such as Public Citizen, the Sierra Club and CodePink, saying they have backed local anti-data-center efforts through broader progressive funding networks; Sierra Club received $3.6 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund between 2014 and 2022.
Texas has emerged as a key battleground, where Public Citizen helped found the Texas Data Center Rebellion and Democratic groups tied to a $30 million Texas Together campaign have hosted town halls, press events and protests over AI data centers.
Polling has reinforced the political pressure: 70% of voters said they oppose data centers in their own communities, and nearly 8 in 10 said construction should slow to address environmental and local concerns.
Supporters of new projects argue the backlash threatens U.S. AI competitiveness and energy expansion, while Sixteen Thirty Fund said communities have legitimate questions and developers should address local impacts instead of attacking critics.