The U.S. data center boom is emerging as a key issue in political advertising on social media in the home stretch of the midterm campaign season, a Pew Research Center analysis finds.
| Month | Anti-data center | Pro-data center |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 31 | 42 |
| 2026-02 | 52 | 14 |
| 2026-03 | 42 | 30 |
| 2026-04 | 57 | 19 |
| 2026-05 | 57 | 6 |
| 2026-06 | 64 | 6 |
| 2026-07 | 60 | 6 |
| 2026-08 | 62 | 8 |
| 2026-09 | 61 | 8 |
| 2026-10 | 57 | 3 |
Spending on political ads mentioning data centers has increased exponentially in the run-up to the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. Over a period of 90 days from Jul. 27 to Oct. 24, advertisers on Facebook and Instagram spent almost $12 million on ads that mention data centers in the context of social issues, elections or politics. (In this analysis, we refer to these ads as “political ads.”)
As recently as January, pro-data center sentiment was slightly more common in this advertising than anti-data center sentiment. Among political ads mentioning data centers, 42% were supportive of them while 31% were critical. The remainder did not take a clear stance.
But since the beginning of this year, ads that mention data centers have grown increasingly critical. So far in October, 57% of these ads have expressed opposition to data centers, while just 3% have been clearly in favor of them.
This finding comes as Americans’ views of data centers have grown more negative in recent months.
What issues are discussed in ads about data centers?
| Category | Anti-data center | Pro-data center | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate interests and investment | 47 | 22 | -25 |
| Energy usage and costs | 35 | 42 | 7 |
| The environment | 26 | 13 | -13 |
| Water usage and costs | 22 | 26 | 4 |
| Taxes or tax revenue | 21 | 18 | -3 |
| Jobs | 3 | 25 | 22 |
Some common themes emerge in political ads on Facebook and Instagram that mention data centers:
- Large corporations and their involvement in data center development (mentioned in 30% of all political ads about data centers)
- Data centers’ energy use (24%)
- Environmental effects of data centers and the water required to run them (17% and 15%, respectively)
Certain themes are more common in ads that are critical of data centers than in ads that support them. For example, nearly half of ads that oppose data centers discuss the corporate interests behind them, like the tech industry or utility companies. That is roughly double the share of pro-data center ads that mention these interests. Meanwhile, ads that support data centers disproportionately discuss their impact on jobs.
Who pays for ads about data centers?
A majority (61%) of recent spending on Facebook and Instagram political ads about data centers has been on ads that don’t promote specific candidates for office. These ads are typically paid for by advocacy groups. More than half of these ads (56%) express opposition to data centers, but 13% are supportive – a much larger share than among campaign ads.
The remaining 39% of recent spending has been for ads that support specific candidates. Of the campaign ads in our analysis period, 72% promote Democratic candidates and 15% promote Republican candidates, while the remainder are for independent candidates or those whose party affiliation could not be determined. A majority of these campaign ads are critical of data centers, and this holds true across party lines. Pro-data center ads are rare for both parties, occurring in less than 1% of campaign ads overall.
In other words, Democratic candidates are more likely than Republicans to post political ads about data centers. But when they do talk about data centers, Democratic and Republican candidates are similarly critical of them.
Which states have seen the most ad spending about data centers?
| Target state | Total spending on data center ads | Share of all political ad spending in state |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | $1,454,000 | 13.9% |
| Oregon | $312,000 | 8.1% |
| Ohio | $1,815,000 | 7.0% |
| Indiana | $207,000 | 5.8% |
| Pennsylvania | $593,000 | 5.0% |
| Texas | $1,692,000 | 4.9% |
| Virginia | $325,000 | 4.9% |
| Montana | $73,000 | 4.4% |
| Nevada | $152,000 | 4.1% |
| Michigan | $734,000 | 3.4% |
Since late July, advertisers spent more than $1 million on political ads mentioning data centers that targeted Facebook and Instagram users in each of three states – Ohio, Wisconsin and Texas. Data center ads made up about 14% of all the political ad spending on these platforms that was aimed at users in Wisconsin, the highest share of any state.
In general, states with more competitive elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate or governor have seen more spending on Facebook and Instagram political ads about data centers. Spending on these ads is also higher, on average, in states with more operational or planned data centers.
