An analysis by conservative AI safety group Humans First, obtained by Fox News Digital, found that deep‑red counties hosting large data centers or proposed projects shifted further toward Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
Humans First examined public election returns and data‑center project records in 1,540 counties across 16 states. Across all counties examined, those hosting large data centers shifted an additional 2.2 percentage points toward Democrats compared with non‑host counties in the same states, the memo reports.
The memo defines deep‑red counties as those President Donald Trump won by at least 20 points in 2024. Restricting the analysis to those counties produced a 2.1‑point raw gap between counties hosting large data centers and comparable counties without projects, the group found.
For projects still in the proposal stage, Humans First reported a 1.1‑point gap after accounting for past voting patterns, rural or urban status, population size, racial and ethnic makeup and recent voting trends.
Humans First identified 114 proposed large data‑center projects across 92 deep‑red counties. The memo said Republican vote totals fell an additional 1.1 percentage points in deep‑red host counties compared with comparable counties without large data centers, while Democratic vote totals showed no significant change.
The group cautioned that its findings show an association rather than proof that data centers caused voters to change behavior, and that county‑level results cannot determine whether Republicans switched their votes or simply stayed home.
Humans First said its September “Data Center Revolt” bus tour made 35 stops in 27 states, including nine stops in deep‑red counties that hosted large data‑center projects; those nine counties shifted 2.2 points further toward Democrats after the analysis’ controls, the memo reported.
Separately, Ballotpedia recorded that voters favored restrictions on data‑center development or rejected measures supporting such projects in 46 of 47 local data‑center ballot measures in 2026, according to the Fox News reporting of the memo.
The Fox News piece and the memo cited national context: the Department of Energy estimated data centers used 4.7% of U.S. electricity in 2024 and could account for 11.8% by 2030, and the National Conference of State Legislatures reported that at least 38 states offer incentives specifically for data centers.
The Data Center Coalition, an industry trade group cited in the article, said such incentives are similar to those offered other capital‑intensive industries and argued that data centers generate jobs, investment and tax revenue. Humans First Chairwoman Amy Kremer told Fox News Digital the group supports local control and does not favor a nationwide or statewide moratorium on data centers.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
