Democrats' midterm wins threaten US data center boom as Ohio leads local bans

Democrats' sweeping midterm victories threaten to halt US data center expansion, with at least 14 Ohio cities voting Tuesday to ban or restrict new projects, prompting Elon Musk to suggest space-based data centers as an alternative. Before the elections, about 40 local proposals targeting these AI-critical facilities were on ballots across 15 states, including Ohio, Kansas, California, and New Hampshire, with measures aiming to pause or stop new developments entirely. The electoral backlash against data center proliferation signals growing local resistance, driven by Democrats who have promised moratoriums or complete halts on new projects, potentially reshaping the AI industry's infrastructure plans.