News Summary

• AI data centers have suddenly become one of the most potent political flashpoints of 2025.
• At issue are tax incentives and infrastructure costs states are offering to attract hyperscale AI data centers.
• Critics blame them for rising electricity bills and strained water supplies, while supporters tout their potential to spur economic growth and deliver tax windfalls to long-stagnant communities.
• But the political calculus is more complicated than a simple left-versus-right divide.
• As electricity bills climb, candidates are turning their fire on data centers in a rare populist backlash that cuts across party lines.