No one wants to be “Data Center Dave”

Amazon Web Services data center in Stone Ridge, Virginia. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day.

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As far as political slurs go, this one is pretty tepid: “Meet Data Center Dave Crowley,” intones the stern-voiced narrator of a recent Tom Tiffany campaign ad .

Tiffany, a Republican, and Crowley, a Democrat, are both running for governor of Wisconsin.

And in this very tight race, as in dozens of midterm contests across the country, voters’ growing animus toward AI could potentially make a real difference .

In less than four weeks, Americans will head to the polls to decide which party controls Congress, along with a slew of state and local offices.

The stakes are arguably, unusually high: Voters will choose whether to check the power of a president who has bulldozed over historical limits and launched an unpopular war that has worsened a cost-of-living crisis.

As we count down to that momentous and potentially messy day, I’m partnering with my colleague Astead Herndon and Vox’s The Midterms, Actually team for weekly editions on the biggest issues shaping the midterms.

We’re breaking down one issue each week and suggesting further reading and races to watch in November.

Last week, we tackled the dual identity crises that both parties have suffered since 2024 .

And this week, we’re digging into the dramatic bipartisan backlash to AI and data centers.

One analyst recently told NPR the issue “upended politics as we know it.” But it’s less clear how that’ll play out in November’s contests.

Go a little deeper View Link There was a time not so long ago when “Data Center Dave” might be a neutral nickname for the well-meaning IT guy at work.

Then Americans soured on AI and the hulking, cavernous warehouses that supply its computing power.