Democrats’ split over data centers is opening a gaping fault line in key House primaries.
Democratic candidates in battleground districts across the country are embracing a left-wing proposal to halt the development of data centers nationwide, pushing incumbents to weigh more aggressive postures than trying to limit the energy-hungry facilities’ impact on electric grids and utility bills.
The moratorium idea is gaining traction beyond insurgent campaigns. In Tennessee, state Rep. Justin Pearson is mounting a serious primary challenge to Rep. Steve Cohen (D) in the state’s 9th District and says a federal moratorium on data centers is not only sound policy but also a potential political winner across party lines.
“We fight for the solidarity dividend all across the country, in small towns, big cities: It’s us against the [artificial intelligence] billionaires taking our electricity and water,” Pearson said. “This is our bridge issue, but you have to have leadership that realizes it.”
Pearson has a clear political reason for embracing a moratorium. The solidly blue 9th District, which covers most of Memphis and the surrounding area, has become a flash point over data centers powering Elon Musk’s xAI operations.
Cohen isn’t letting Pearson claim the issue outright. The incumbent has also expressed support for a federal moratorium and has introduced a bill to regulate data centers’ emissions and energy use.
“This isn’t about voluntary action,” Cohen said of his legislation. “It’s about ensuring that, as this industry grows, it does not rely on coal and gas or drive up utility bills.”
Across the country, similar fights are emerging. In one small Missouri town, voters recently ousted all incumbent city council members after they approved a $6 billion data center deal. Other communities in data center hubs like Ohio and Maryland are considering local moratoriums on the energy-intensive projects.
“Right now, data centers are expanding faster than our infrastructure can handle, and Virginians are the ones paying the price through higher utility bills and increased strain on our energy system,” said former Alexandria, Virginia, council member and federal attorney Mo Seifeldein, who is challenging Rep. Don Beyer (D) in the state’s 8th District.
Beyer, for his part, has not yet publicly endorsed a data center moratorium of any kind. A spokesperson did not return request for comment.
Maine’s Legislature already passed a data center moratorium, and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills — running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins — is weighing whether to sign it.
Graham Platner, Mills’s primary opponent, did not return a request for comment. But two Maine Democrats competing in a Democratic primary to replace departing Rep. Jared Golden have favored a moratorium.
Joe Baldacci, a state senator, voted for the bill awaiting Mills’s signature. Primary opponent Matthew Dunlap, a former state auditor, shared his views in a statement to POLITICO’s E&E News.
“If elected to Congress, I would support and co-sponsor the federal moratorium legislation,” Dunlap said, referring to the bill announced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). “We need national standards that protect consumers, workers, and our environment before we allow unchecked expansion of these facilities.”
‘He’s not listening’
Most Democrats in Congress have criticized the moratorium proposal harshly. Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner dismissed the plan as “idiocy” during an event hosted by Axios.
Instead, many lawmakers and candidates are backing narrower approaches. Beyer has introduced legislation that would direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to convene a conference with grid operators and issue recommendations on protecting ratepayers.
Still, progressive challengers see an opening to argue that incumbents are not acting in voters’ best interests.
“Rep. Cohen is not taking this issue seriously enough, and he’s not listening to the working-class people in his district,” Pearson said. “The AI industry is moving at speed to do things we never imagined, and we need to put a hold on it.”
Cohen said in a statement that he supports a data center moratorium until “strong, enforceable guardrails are in place.” He also pointed to his work in introducing the “Clean Cloud Act,” a bill that would set emission requirements for data centers and incentivize clean energy use.
A February poll from progressive firm Data for Progress found the two candidates in a virtual tie. Pearson has been outraising Cohen; he’s brought in $1.1 million total, double Cohen’s haul.
Destiny Wells and George Hornedo, long-shot challengers to Rep. André Carson (D) in Indiana’s 7th District, saw the growing data center backlash firsthand when more than 100 residents gathered outside Indianapolis City Hall to oppose a proposed data center.
“The Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in Indianapolis spent months fighting a proposed $500 million data center — near homes, near a daycare, near the only grocery store in the area,” Hornedo said. “And on April 1, the city approved it anyway.”
They said the outcome underscores the uphill battle local residents face when taking on large developers and the officials aligned with them. The progressive candidates both broadly echoed that populist framing in arguing for a federal moratorium, while also attacking incumbent Democrats as another aspect of a systemic issue.
“AES Indiana — the utility that will power the facility — has contributed to his campaign,” Hornedo said of Carson. “I’m not saying that’s why he was silent. But I am saying the silence fell in exactly the places you’d expect it to fall given those relationships.”
Carson said in a statement he now supports a federal data center moratorium, adding he would “work to pass bills to prevent data centers from passing costs on to customers and to require environmental disclosures.”
‘Fair share’ or full stop?
How much the data center moratorium issue will boost underdog candidates remains an open question.
Community opposition exists, but public opinion is far from a groundswell. A POLITICO/Public First poll from January found voters nearly split — with 37 percent supporting a new data center within 3 miles of their home, 28 percent opposed and another 28 percent with no strong view either way.
“I think a moratorium would send the message to other nations, ‘Hey, the U.S. is giving up leadership in this space,’ and I don’t want to send that message,’” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has included a priority of “making data centers pay their fair share” as part of Senate Democrats’ broader plan to cut energy costs.
President Donald Trump has brokered a “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” with major technology companies, committing them to cover “the full cost of their energy and infrastructure, no matter what.”
Critics say the informal agreement lacks enforcement mechanisms, and GOP leaders have sent mixed messages on whether they intend to codify the pledge. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has been particularly vocal among Republicans in pushing for Congress to legislate on data centers.
GOP concern about data centers is more vocal at the state level. James Fishback, a far-right candidate for Florida governor, has criticized national Republicans for prioritizing major tech firms over communities absorbing the impacts of rapid development.
And former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard (R), now running for governor, is calling for a one-year statewide moratorium on new data center construction.
“I don’t want to live in a state that’s full of data centers,” Leonard told Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit news website. “And I know many of the people that I’m talking to — they don’t either.”
Timothy Cama contributed to this report.
