By Anna Wiederkehr | 08/11/2026 06:46 AM EDT
Americans are increasingly souring on the data-center boom. They’re also weighing how seriously candidates should be punished for scandals.
A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida, on July 18. Thomas Simonetti/AFP via Getty Images
A plurality of Americans now oppose a data center being built near where they live. A majority believe data centers raise their electricity bills and deplete the water supply. And nearly half of respondents say they’d be more likely to vote for a candidate who proposed a moratorium on data centers in their state.
Those are among the findings of the July edition of The POLITICO Poll. While POLITICO reporters are covering the most striking results here, the full survey offers a detailed look at artificial intelligence and data centers, taxes and federal spending, local infrastructure, political corruption and party reputation.
Respondents were also asked whether they would support their preferred political candidates through various scandals, including making antisemitic statements, accepting expensive gifts from lobbyists, facing sexual assault or domestic violence allegations, sharing classified information and engaging in blackface.
We want to make sure POLITICO Pro subscribers have access to all of the data. You can find the full poll results here, but we’ve also pulled out the topline findings across nine policy and topic areas below:
The transformation of the energy sector.
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Congress. Legislation. Politics.
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