There are 4,427 operational data centers in the United States. The largest concentrations are in Virginia (665), Texas (413), California (321), Illinois (244), and Ohio (203). Together, these five states account for 42% of the nation’s data centers.
We’ve previously written about the growing public backlash against AI data centers. (See “Nobody Wants AI Next Door.”) Now, that opposition is spilling into the 2026 midterm elections. In Ohio, which has the fifth-largest concentration of data centers in the country, former Senator Sherrod Brown (D) is making the issue part of his campaign against incumbent Senator Jon Husted (R). Brown has labeled Husted “the face of data centers,” accusing him of fast-tracking new facilities while Ohioans face rising electricity bills.
The polls are neck and neck. And Polymarket gives Brown a 52% chance of winning the election.