The right rises against data centers

By Jason Plautz | 07/15/2026 05:45 AM EDT

Grassroots opposition is spurring Republican officials to call for more guardrails around the energy hungry facilities.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds takes the stage last year during his kickoff campaign for governor. In ads, Donalds said he would “protect Florida families and communities from data centers."

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds takes the stage last year during his kickoff campaign for governor. In ads, Donalds said he would “protect Florida families and communities from data centers." Chris Tilley/AP

Few can match Amy Kremer’s conservative credentials.

The Georgia activist and one-time flight attendant cut her teeth during the Tea Party wave, joined the MAGA movement in its infancy and helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, rally in support of President Donald Trump that ultimately led to an assault on the Capitol.

Now, Kremer, who said she did not participate in the Capitol insurrection, is taking that right-wing attitude to a new opponent: data centers.

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Humans First, the group she founded, is spearheading protests in 37 states against data centers Saturday. That includes at least 18 rallies in the Republican stronghold of Texas, as well as four more in New York, which this week became the first state to impose a data center moratorium.

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