A new CNBC poll shows a gap between President Donald Trump's push for artificial intelligence and what his own supporters want in their neighborhoods. Trump has called the AI race with China a national-security imperative and backed a huge buildout of data centers and power supplies 1.
Across all voters, 63% do not want an AI data center near them, and just 13% support one 1. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, only 24% would support one nearby 1.
What the numbers show
Among supporters of Trump's MAGA movement, nearly 55% want companies to keep developing advanced AI while Congress writes rules, versus 27% who favor a pause 1. But only 29% of them would support a data center within 10 miles of home, and 40% oppose one 1.
Democrats are the most opposed. In the poll, 80% of Democrats oppose nearby facilities and 4% support them 1.
From Channel GOPSherrod Brown on Husted's votes on war and tariffsSherrod Brown · 129 plays · captioned, with the source named
Overall, 52% of registered voters want advanced AI development paused until Congress passes safety rules. That compares with 32% who favor moving ahead to keep pace with China 1.
The survey covered 1,000 registered voters and was taken Oct. 14-18. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 1. The data-center question went to about 500 voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 points 1.
Many people are annoyed by these data centers
Voters also named AI as a worry about Republican control. Asked their top concerns if Republicans keep Congress, 18% cited a failure to regulate AI and data centers 1. That tied continued military efforts in Iran and beat continued deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 15% 1.
Democrats hold a modest edge on the issue. In the poll, 32% trust Democrats to handle data center expansion, versus 24% for Republicans, and 27% said neither party would do better 1.
Ohio shows the pressure
In Ohio, Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces Democrat Sherrod Brown, who has made data-center opposition a campaign issue 1. In August, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned AI companies that the backlash was threatening Husted's reelection, Axios reported 1.
A Bowling Green State University poll in September found 75% of Ohioans would oppose a data center in their community 2. Ohio has given at least $2.3 billion in sales tax breaks for data centers, Signal Ohio reported in June 2.
Husted's campaign says data centers “are, and should remain, a local decision” 2. It also says Senate Democrats blocked his bill to make data center companies pay for the power they use 2. Brown wrote on Sept. 19 that he is “running to take on the big corporations raising our utility bills” 2.
Trump has shown signs of the pressure too. In a Truth Social post Wednesday, he said developers should pay host communities a “dividend” and generate their own power 1.
What happens next
The election is Nov. 3. Brown led Husted 52% to 47% in a Fox News poll taken Oct. 15-19, and 47% to 44% in an InsiderAdvantage poll taken Oct. 21-22 2.
The Data Center Coalition says the industry brings jobs, investment and tax revenue, and that operators are committed to “paying for the energy we use” 1. The analysis here is simple: the party that owns the AI buildout may also own the bills and the backlash that come with it.
The Record
- As Ohio lieutenant governor, Jon Husted helped announce a $10 billion Amazon Web Services expansion; the year is given only as 2024 in the report 1.
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee warned AI companies that data center backlash threatened Husted's reelection, Axios reported; the month is given as August 1.
- CNBC's survey of 1,000 registered voters, taken Oct. 14-18, finds 63% oppose a nearby AI data center 1.
Sources
- CNBC, “Trump is pushing a massive AI buildout. His own voters are wary of what comes with it” (2026-10-24). cnbc.com/2026/10/24/trump-ai-data-centers-voter-backlash-mid
- Newsweek, “Map Shows Where Data Centers Are Being Built in Ohio Amid Midterm Debate” (2026-10-24). newsweek.com/map-shows-where-data-centers-are-being-built-in
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