U.S. midterm elections, data center issue: Republic struggles at Vance's knees - residents rebel against surge in plans in Midwest Ohio

Data centers, which are being built across the United States due to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, have emerged as an important issue in the U.S. midterm elections to be counted on November 3. In particular, in Vice President Vance's home state of Ohio in the Midwest, plans are rapidly increasing, especially in rural areas where the ruling Republican Party is stronghold. There has been widespread opposition due to concerns about environmental destruction, and the Republican Party has been forced into an unexpectedly tough battle in the Senate and gubernatorial races. A defeat would also be a blow to Mr. Vance.

``Trouble facilities'' with little economic impact will become larger with the development of AI - US midterm elections

◇Unite beyond partisanship

"We don't need a data center!" The town of Piqua is about an hour and a half by car from the state capital Columbus. On the 6th of this month, a group of residents held placards in the city center and protested against the construction of a data center. Occasionally, cheering horns can be heard from passing cars. Alisha Lang, 43, a farmer who is leading the movement, says, ``We are united, transcending the differences between republicans, democrats, and independents.''

At issue is a data center being planned by US IT giant Meta (formerly Facebook) on approximately 2.5 square kilometers of farmland, an area the size of 52 Tokyo Domes. In addition to growing concerns about the large use of water, water pollution, and rising electricity prices, there are also complaints about the opaque decision-making process and tax breaks.

Ohio already has more than 200 data centers, making it one of the largest clusters in the United States. Furthermore, large-scale IT projects are occurring one after another in rural areas like Piqua, and the SoftBank Group is also planning large-scale facilities in the southern part of the state.

Miami County, which includes Piqua, is a strongly Republican area, and even in the 2020 presidential election, won by former Democratic President Biden, President Trump received over 70% of the vote. Lang is also registered to vote as a Republican. However, he was disappointed that local Republican politicians did not respond to any consultation regarding the data center, and confessed that he had no intention of voting for them in the midterm elections.

◇“Symbol” of attraction

Residents' anger is reflected in the election situation. In the Senate race, incumbent Republican John Husted, who replaced Vance after he resigned from the Senate to become vice president, appears to be slightly behind former Democrat Sherrod Brown. Mr. Brown argues that the reason there are so many data centers in Ohio is because Mr. Husted, when he was lieutenant governor, attracted them through tax incentives. They are running campaign ads criticizing him, calling him the "symbol" of data centers.

The gubernatorial race is a contest between Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for the Republican Party's nomination in the 2024 presidential election, and Democratic Party candidate Amy Acton. The Republican Party is also reported to be in a weak position.

Rust Belt regions such as Ohio swung to support Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and are said to have greatly contributed to his victory. The Republican Party's struggles in these regions have created a sense of crisis, and both Trump and Vance have repeatedly returned to Ohio in the final stages of their campaigns.

However, the company remains committed to promoting data centers. At a rally on the 3rd of this month, Mr. Trump appealed that the data center "could bring a lot of revenue to Ohio. We can't kick it out." Vance emphasized on the 9th that data centers will be "engineered into the economy."

David Niven, a professor at the University of Cincinnati who is an expert on domestic politics, said it would be "an embarrassing situation" if Republicans lost the Ohio Senate and gubernatorial races. He expressed the view that "it will never be a positive thing" for Mr. Vance in his bid to succeed Mr. Trump as president. (Piqua = Ohio, USA = Jiji)