How Democrats’ datacenter push in swing states is risking their midterm hopes

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, Related Companies CEO, Brent Behrman, governor Gretchen Whitmer and Oracle CEO, Clay Magouyrk, during the groundbreaking for the Barn datacenter in Saline Township, Michigan on 1 June 2026. Photograph: Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News/AP View image in fullscreen OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, Related Companies CEO, Brent Behrman, governor Gretchen Whitmer and Oracle CEO, Clay Magouyrk, during the groundbreaking for the Barn datacenter in Saline Township, Michigan on 1 June 2026. Photograph: Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News/AP Analysis How Democrats’ datacenter push in swing states is risking their midterm hopes Stephen Starr Polls suggest many Democratic voters oppose the projects as party leaders champion AI investment Sarah Brabbs used to be a fan of Michigan ’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer. “I have her book; I appreciated her stewardship and guidance during the pandemic,” Brabbs, who has voted Democrat for basically her entire life, says. “I will never not appreciate who she was during that time.” Whitmer, who is term-limited having served eight years as governor, has characterized herself as a no-nonsense, “get-it-done” kind of politician. Her visibility in midwestern battleground states means she’s also seen by many as a potential Democratic front runner for the 2028 presidential election. But in the eyes of many Democratic voters in Michigan, Whitmer tore up her White House ambitions by appearing on stage with OpenAI’s Sam Altman last month to celebrate one of the most divisive events in years for rural Michigan: The building of a controversial $16bn, enormous datacenter by OpenAI and Oracle in Saline township, a rural area west of Ann Arbor. View image in fullscreen Many residents opposed Related Companies’ development of a $16bn datacenter in Saline, Michigan, on 6 May 2026, worried about the project’s use of farm land and impact on water and electricity. Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images When Brabbs, who lives six miles from the datacenter, heard about Whitmer’s active support for the datacenter, her view changed. “[I felt] just rage and sadness. For like a month it made me sick, just thinking about it,” she says of seeing Whitmer on a stage with AI company leaders. “I’m extremely angry watching her essentially throw us under the bus, casually.” Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called the governor’s position “disgusting”. For politicians in midwestern swing states such as Michigan, opposing the almost universally reviled datacenters should be an easy way to win votes. And yet, one Democratic politician after another in battleground states has rolled out the red carpet for companies building these controversial, energy-intensive projects. View image in fullscreen House financial services committee member Rashida Tlaib questions then Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, during a hearing on Capitol Hill 24 June 2025 in Washington DC. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images A recent Ipsos national