American politicians who once fought for data centers are now trashing them; Texas Senator makes chatbot that tells why state electricity bills are up

US political figures who previously competed to bring massive artificial intelligence (AI) data hubs to their states are reversing course, are distancing themselves from the facilities as voter frustration grows over surging electricity bills, heavy water usage and fears of job displacement, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. In Texas, governor Greg Abbott had proclaimed the state the center of AI development following a $40 billion investment from Google. However, Abbott subsequently suspended approvals for roughly 1,800 planned data facilities worth billions of dollars, citing severe demands placed on local power grids and water supplies.The policy shift drew public criticism from President Donald Trump, who defended the facilities as vital economic engines and warned that regions rejecting them risk falling behind.Rising public pushback has turned data centres into a central friction point in regional political contests. For example, state representative Gina Hinojosa, challenging Abbott for the governorship, launched a campaign ad showing a resident asking an AI chatbot why their electricity costs are rising. The chatbot responds by attributing the price hikes to data centres approved under Abbott, highlighting campaign donations he received from AI-linked executives, including Elon Musk.Hinojosa argued that community protections must be written directly into statute rather than relying on voluntary corporate agreements. Similarly, democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed attacked former Representative Mike Rogers over local facility expansion, stating that voters strongly oppose having data centers built near their neighborhoods..Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown challenged Senator Jon Husted over his record on AI infrastructure, labeling him the public face of data centers. In response, Husted stated he has consistently pushed for tech firms to pay local taxes and higher power rates, introducing legislation to enforce stricter operating rules.Concerns over public backlash prompted the National Republican Senatorial Committee to warn candidates in an internal memo that data centres represent a major political liability, cautioning that contenders cannot easily repair the damaged reputation of the infrastructure sector.