Exclusive: GOP warns AI companies that data centers are politically radioactive

The Senate GOP campaign arm, in a private memo to top AI companies, warns that toxic views of U.S. data centers are killing the party's chances of holding a vital seat in Ohio.

In the memo, obtained by Axios, the National Republican Senatorial Committee says Democrats have made data centers a "centerpiece" of their campaign to defeat Sen.

Jon Husted (R-Ohio) — and that it's working.

"If he loses and data centers get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice — and they will not go near the next one," the memo says.

"This has become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle." Why it matters: Republicans want the AI companies to do whatever it takes to stem the public backlash.

The big picture: AI CEOs and top Republicans share in the rising panic.

They tell us internal polls show data centers are as popular as spent nuclear waste, and more broadly have become a proxy for feelings about AI.

Tech giants are scrambling to pull together media campaigns to try to shift opinion before it hardens locally and nationally.

But Democrats aren't dummies.

They see the same polls and are moving fast.

Even politicians who previously embraced data centers, including Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro (D), are racing to crack down on them this election year.

On Tuesday, Shapiro, ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run, signed an executive order imposing "strict guardrails" for data-center development.

There are now more than 4,000 data centers online across the U.S., with another 3,000-plus centers proposed or in progress.