Thousands of votes are slipping through our fingers

We all know AI data centers are wildly unpopular. Over 70% of Americans oppose data centers near their homes, with 48% saying they are strongly opposed. And if you’ve driven through rural Ohio recently, you’ve likely seen the homemade “no data centers” signs in people’s yards.

The data center hate is especially strong in rural Ohio.

Have you been seeing Ohioans gathering signatures to ban large scale data centers? That organic movement started in rural Adams and Brown Counties, two places where Democrats have been hemorrhaging voters in recent years.

More than 80% of Adams and Brown County voters supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

We have also recently learned that the EPA is drafting a new permit to allow all Ohio data centers to release untreated wastewater and stormwater directly into rivers and streams. Yes, you read that correctly.

This story is all over right-leaning social media right now, and people are ANGRY (as they should be).

This is a massive opportunity for Ohio Democrats. A once-in-a-generation chance to win back votes that may otherwise be lost to our party for decades.

And it’s slipping through our fingers.

This morning, Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, finally released a public statement regarding data centers:

Yet her statement was significantly weaker than the one released yesterday by Republican U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno:

What are we doing, friends? This is a layup. This is a gimme. This is tens of thousands of votes up for grabs. Are we just going to let Republicans have them?

Amy Acton especially should be loudly demanding a data center moratorium. Her opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, is heavily financially invested in data centers.

Vivek has also been openly supporting data center expansion while campaigning for governor. There’s absolutely no chance he plans to regulate them.

Dr. Acton should be sharing these facts in every speech. In every ad. Why on Earth isn’t she?

Even MAGA state legislators are starting to talk about the need for a moratorium. If Democrats don’t step up and lead on this issue, they’re going to hand Republicans an incredibly memorable policy win.

It also helps that opposing AI data centers is simply the right thing to do. Last month, the United Nations’ academic arm issued a terrifying report on the environmental impacts of AI data centers.

Their research found that, within the next five years, AI will be using up the amount of water needed for 1.3 BILLION people. Read that sentence again.

And don’t you dare tell me that opposing data centers is anti-union. I am passionately pro-union and pro-workers’ rights. Always have been. Always will be. Without workers, we have nothing.

Democrats can and SHOULD be loudly and proudly pro-union without sacrificing other values. It just means 1.) standing up to union leaders and lobbyists when necessary, and 2.) being proactive in working to bring new, actually beneficial projects to Ohio.

For example, unions and Democrats (and common sense Republicans) could work together to demand more wind and solar projects for Ohio. Thanks to Republican legislators, we’re currently one of the most anti renewable energy states. Those projects would come with many more permanent jobs AND future growth potential!

The solution is simple. The message is simple. We have no excuse. No more AI data centers. Let’s fight to build good things instead.