Newsweek Quotes John Thomas on Data Centers and Michigan’s Senate Race
Washington, D.C., September 25, 2026 — Voter skepticism toward AI data centers is becoming a defining issue in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, according to a new Newsweek report citing polling that shows Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed with an advantage over Republican former Representative Mike Rogers on the issue.
As the debate moves from national AI competitiveness to local questions over utility bills, water use, and grid capacity, Nestpoint Managing Director John Thomas weighed in on why the issue is resonating with voters. His comments focused on the household and community-level costs that can turn data centers into a campaign issue in competitive races.
The issue has become more than a technology policy debate. In Michigan and other Senate battlegrounds, data centers are increasingly being discussed through the lens of utility bills, water use, grid capacity, and whether communities should absorb the costs of large-scale AI infrastructure.
Newsweek reported that El-Sayed has made opposition to data centers a central part of his campaign, calling for moratoriums on new facilities until federal rules address union jobs, utility costs, water resources, and power-grid investments. Rogers, meanwhile, has shifted his position over the course of the campaign, eventually calling for a one-year moratorium on new data centers.
The broader national context is also shifting. Newsweek noted that opposition to data centers now crosses party lines, with recent surveys showing many voters skeptical of building facilities at the current scale and pace. The article also pointed to competitive Senate races in states with planned data center projects, underscoring how local infrastructure concerns could affect campaign messaging.
Thomas said the backlash is rooted in costs that voters can connect directly to their households and communities.
“Voters are not asking Washington to surrender the AI race to China,” Thomas told Newsweek. “They are asking why their electric bills, water, and grid should subsidize a tech campus they never voted for.”
His comment highlights the central challenge for candidates navigating the data center issue. The political risk is not necessarily support for AI itself, but appearing dismissive of the local costs and infrastructure concerns tied to the physical buildout behind it.
The article, “Abdul El-Sayed Gets Boost in Michigan as Voters Sour on AI Data Centers,” was written by Jesus Mesa and published by Newsweek on September 25, 2026. You can read it here.
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