Symbolic imageDemocratic governors elected on pledges to curb data centres, putting AI build-out under scrutiny
Democrats who promised to halt or restrict data-centre construction won governorships in Texas, Georgia and Ohio on Tuesday. Bloomberg reports that CoreWeave bonds fell to new lows.
In the midterms on Tuesday, 3 November, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Texas Governor Greg Abbott after pledging an immediate suspension of data-centre construction, the Financial Times reports. Local ballot measures against such projects accompanied the wave, which the FT reads as a rejection of President Donald Trump's push for rapid AI infrastructure growth. The New York Times says voters also chose Democrats who promised to regulate the technology after two years of little oversight. An NBC exit poll found 56% of respondents called AI and data centres a crucial or important factor in their vote for Congress.
Georgia and Ohio
In Georgia, where CBRE counts nearly 2.9 gigawatts of data-centre capacity under construction, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms had promised a temporary statewide pause, while her opponent Rick Jackson said communities should decide. In Ohio, Amy Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy and pledged a conditional freeze on approvals for projects that miss strict energy and water criteria.
Investors and the White House
Bloomberg reports that CoreWeave bonds hit new lows with Texas data centres in the crosshairs. Trump called the backlash and wider AI safety worries a "hoax" in September, and many Republican candidates distanced themselves from him on the issue.