Exclusive: Climate group presses Dems to seize on data center backlash
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios
A climate group that backs Democrats is giving the party's 2028 hopefuls and campaign committees advice on how to capitalize on waning public support for data centers, a new memo shows.
Why it matters: Data centers have landed atop the political radar, and Climate Power's memo underscores the scramble to turn the backlash into a political advantage ahead of the midterms and 2028.
Driving the news: It says "public opinion on data centers is cratering" and argues this provides a political opening around energy costs and environmental concerns.
- The "topline message" is that "Trump and Republicans have given AI data centers a blank check to raise our utility bills, poison our air, and drain our water," Climate Power argues.
State of play: Democrats can draw a contrast with President Trump's AI and data center advocacy by uniting around three principles, it states.
- Tech companies paying their own way.
- Powering data centers with clean energy.
- Giving communities a "real say" and ensuring they're informed about water and energy usage.
Reality check: Candidates' positions on data centers don't split along partisan lines as various GOP candidates and leaders offer new restrictions.
- Demands that tech companies and developers don't offload costs onto consumers are common in both parties — and the White House has the same position.
- And Democrats don't have a united front, with high-profile incumbents and candidates taking a variety of approaches.
Yes, but: Jesse Lee, a senior adviser to Climate Power, argues that Republicans are politically saddled with President Trump's overall support for the sector and will bend to his goals.
- The memo says that while some GOP candidates are now emphasizing data center accountability, "Trump owns the party's position."
If Republicans keep control of the House and Senate, GOP lawmakers will be an "army for data centers" on Trump's behalf, Lee said in an interview.
- He also said that while Democrats have room to debate specific policies, they're broadly united around the memo's principles.
- The memo says that debate could include whether to pursue "real, enforced guardrails" or a temporary moratorium on data centers.
What we're watching: Data center politics are evolving quickly as the midterms loom and Democrats jockey for position ahead of 2028.
- Climate Power said it shared the memo with the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association.
- The group declined to offer a list of potential 2028 hopefuls who got it, though Lee said it's "pretty much everybody that has been in the conversation."
