Ohio Trump Voters Question Data Centers as $105 Billion AI Push Tests Blue-Collar Support
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 12
Ohio Trump Voters Question Data Centers as $105 Billion AI Push Tests Blue-Collar Support
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 12
Summary
Youngstown-area voters who once backed Trump say his push for AI and data centers feels detached from rising grocery, housing and gas costs, leaving some undecided or skipping key midterm races.
A $105 billion Nvidia-backed OpenAI data center in Pike County and a separate $20 billion Damac expansion have become symbols of that unease, with critics fearing higher power bills, noise and few immediate local gains.
The issue is now cutting into Republican politics in Ohio: the NRSC called data centers "the anchor" around Sen. Jon Husted, while a New York Times-Siena poll found voters trust Sherrod Brown over Husted on the issue by 11 points.
Local resistance has spread beyond campaign ads, with Hubbard set to vote next month on banning data centers even as the White House argues Trump's tax and trade policies are bringing billions in investment and manufacturing jobs to Ohio.
The backlash exposes a broader Midwest risk for Republicans as Trump's second-term embrace of tech and AI collides with the blue-collar economic message that helped him carry Ohio in three straight elections.