Data Center Opposition Shapes Illinois Senate Race Ahead of Midterms

Competing promises on development

Syed, 27, a Muslim American serving in the Illinois House, has long focused on residents' concerns about data centers. Her campaign argues that the companies behind the projects, rather than households, should bear their power costs.

"Data centres consume enormous amounts of power, and the companies driving that demand should be the ones covering the cost of it," her campaign website says. It adds that those costs "should not be showing up in our electricity bills".

Her campaign also addresses the growing power of technology companies. Syed stood alongside Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker as he signed legislation he called "the strongest AI safety accountability bill in the nation". She supported his pause on new data center tax incentives as constituents raised complaints about noise, environmental effects and other consequences of development.

Hills, the Republican incumbent, has emphasized her own proposal for greater local oversight. "I hear you," she wrote on campaign social media, pointing to Senate Bill 1050 as her response to residents' concerns.

Under Hills' bill, developers would need a neighboring municipality's written consent before locating a data center within three miles of its corporate boundaries. The measure would also expand public notice requirements to give residents information before decisions are made. It failed to advance during the spring 2026 session; Hills said she would pursue it again during the veto session.

Hills has cited the withdrawal of a data center rezoning proposal in Hoffman Estates as an example of residents influencing development. People from Hoffman Estates, Barrington Hills and South Barrington organized against the project before the developer withdrew its request.

Illinois pauses new tax agreements

The state action backed by Syed concerns new incentive agreements, not a statewide ban on construction. On June 5, Pritzker directed the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to stop processing new agreements under the Data Center Investment Program beginning July 1, 2026. Agreements signed before that date remain in place.

The incentives have provided substantial benefits to developers: a state report put their value at more than $983 million for 27 data centers between 2020 and 2024.

Pritzker's decision followed lawmakers' failure to pass House Bill 5513, the POWER Act, before the May 31 spring session deadline. That proposal would have made data centers pay for and supply their own renewable energy, report and track water use, and negotiate community benefits agreements with their host municipalities.

Polls show resistance beyond Democratic voters

National surveys show that Democrats are more skeptical of AI and data centers than Republicans, but opposition is not confined to one party. Some lifelong Republican voters also object to the spread of the facilities.

In CNBC's All-America Economic Survey, 63% of registered voters opposed having an AI data center within 10 miles of home, while 13% supported it. Among Democrats, opposition reached 80%, with 4% in favor. Only 24% of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters supported a nearby facility.

The nationwide poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from October 14 through 18, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. It also found that 52% wanted advanced AI development paused until Congress enacted safety regulations; 32% preferred proceeding to keep pace with China.

Concern about household bills has grown over the year. In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in July and August, 50% of US adults described data centers as "mostly bad" for home energy costs, compared with 38% in January. Views also became more negative about their effects on the environment, employment, tax revenue and nearby residents' quality of life.

Republican politicians have generally been less critical of data centers, an approach that The National reported has cost them support among independents ahead of the midterms. Axios reported that an internal Republican memo urged candidates in competitive races to adjust their positions on AI and data centers. Its recommended message combined local approval and company-paid utility costs with the argument that the US must beat China in AI.

Some Republican candidates and officials have already shifted. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered environmental regulators on September 21 to suspend data center permit reviews while the state examines potential effects on water quality and the power grid. That move followed Texas Politics Project polling showing that 57% of voters opposed data centers in their communities.

In Michigan's US Senate race, Republican Mike Rogers announced support for a statewide data center moratorium, adopting a position long held by Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed's campaign questioned Rogers' change of stance.

Restrictions reach local ballots

The debate extends beyond candidate races. Ballotpedia counts 34 data center-related measures on November's ballots, covering 35 jurisdictions in 30 counties. They span California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Ohio accounts for 20 initiatives in 17 jurisdictions. Citizen petitions put 31 of the 34 measures before voters, and all four measures considered earlier in 2026 favored tighter development restrictions.

As of the midterms, New York is the only state with a statewide data center moratorium, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. Local governments in 40 states nevertheless have active bans or moratoriums.

S&P Global, citing the consultancy Programs.com, reported that local authorities adopted 294 bans and moratoriums from January through July 2026. More than 50 data center projects have been canceled this year amid community opposition.

Electricity bills complicate the economic case

President Donald Trump has recently dismissed concerns about unregulated AI and fears about data centers as hoaxes. Earlier in the year, however, his administration acknowledged public discontent as construction expanded and electricity bills increased.

In February, Trump promoted a largely nonbinding ratepayer protection pledge. Participating technology companies and data center developers promised to provide electricity for their facilities rather than draw from the existing grid. Opposition has continued to grow despite that effort.

Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the US Hispanic Business Council, argues that communities can receive tangible economic benefits. "Construction can generate hundreds of well-paying, if temporary, jobs for electricians and other building trade workers, and the tax benefits can be substantial," he said.

He cited Loudon County, Virginia, where data centers accounted for 38% of the government's general fund revenue. That money supports schools, roads and emergency services while easing pressure on residential taxpayers, he said.

Still, Palomarez said the facilities' electricity consumption has undercut their broader economic benefits in the eyes of people struggling with utility bills. He said technology companies and developers would have time after the elections to build public support, but would need to offer more than assurances of eventual gains.

"There is room to earn public support, but people need more than a promise that the benefits will eventually reach them," he said. "They need to know they won't be left with the bill."