Top Democrats call to rein in AI buildout after midterms sweep: 'National data center moratorium now'

After a big win in the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, some Democrats are already signaling they want to take on the artificial build-out, specifically data centers.

In a post on X, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., touted referendums across the U.S. on Tuesday where voters in localities approved restrictions on data centers. Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, said the message to political leaders is clear.

"National data center moratorium now," he wrote in the post. "Americans don't want Big Tech oligarchs wrecking the environment, gutting jobs and threatening humanity's future."

In another post on X, Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., wrote that pausing AI development needs to be a top priority for the large Democratic majority in the House on Day 1. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, amplified the post and said, "Yes!"

According to the CNBC Voter Poll, 56% of voters said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their decision at the ballot box. Of those voters, 65% said they cast a ballot for a Democratic candidate for Congress.

Stocks linked to the artificial intelligence build-out declined slightly on Wednesday in the wake of the election, but the selling intensified on Thursday as investors worried Democratic wins could have a real impact on data center construction. Chip stocks led the decline. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) tumbled nearly 9% on Tuesday. Nvidia declined 8%, while Advanced Micro Devices sunk more than 14%.

Democrats who flipped critical races on Tuesday also singled out big tech companies and data centers.

South Carolina Democrat Annie Andrews, who flipped a Senate seat in the state on Tuesday, launched a website during the campaign that branded her opponent — Sen. Darline Graham — "data center Darline."

In her victory speech on Tuesday, Andrews said voters chose a South Carolina "where decisions about communities are made by the people who live in our communities, not the billionaires or data center companies in Washington D.C."

Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, who is heading back to the Senate after defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Husted on Tuesday, said in his victory speech, "I do not work for data centers."

Democratic governors also attacked data centers in their victory speeches. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who signed an executive order in August to slow data center development, said big tech companies shouldn't determine residents' futures. "Instead, the folks in our local communities get the final say," he said.

Perhaps most important to the data center build-out is Texas, which is home to 27% of planned data center capacity, according to Wells Fargo.

Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat who ousted incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, didn't address data centers directly in her victory speech, though they played a key role in her campaign.