Exclusive: GOP Issues Stark Warning to AI Companies

The NRSC sent a private memo to top AI companies warning that Democratic attacks on data centers are driving an 8-point deficit for Senator Jon Husted in Ohio, with internal polls showing data centers are as unpopular as spent nuclear waste. Former Senator Sherrod Brown has spent millions framing Husted as "the face of data centers in Ohio," capitalizing on community concerns over high electricity costs, water usage, massive land footprints, and AI-driven job losses. Over 4,000 data centers currently operate nationally with 3,000 more proposed, and the backlash is spreading — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, despite previously supporting them, just signed an executive order imposing strict guardrails ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run. The NRSC is pressing AI companies including Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, and others with Ohio projects to launch public campaigns reframing data center benefits before opinion solidifies. Republicans warn that a Husted loss would set a national precedent making elected officials across the country reluctant to approve future data center projects.