With the midterm elections just 55 days away, the data-center buildout story has become a major political issue.Socialists Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have proposed a nationwide moratorium on new data-center buildouts. President Trump, meanwhile, has promoted data centers and infrastructure development as sources of jobs and economic growth. Last month, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backward and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.""If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti-data center movement. Actually, they can't believe it is happening!" Trump continued.Vice President JD Vance also addressed the issue, acknowledging the backlash around data centers and saying he believes the concerns stem from higher power bills. But data centers wouldn't be an issue if not for years of terrible grid management and climate change policies that have neutered the grid over the last decade. Data center messaging has been a major issue for hyperscalers, as local resistance, some of which is fueled by outside groups and ones linked to China, spread rapidly and threatens construction timelines, complicating the electricity-demand forecasts underpinning Wall Street's AI trade. We cited Morganley Stanley in mid-July, which warned:"An estimated $156 billion of data center projects were canceled or delayed in 2025, and $130 billion in 1Q26. Community pushback against data center construction has accelerated in 2026 as new moratoriums have been introduced, with the majority of the change happening at the local level. This puts pressure on costs and timelines and could alter the geographic distribution of data centers. Sustained data center pushback could ultimately extend the cycle and reduce future supply by lowering capex and financing needs." "An estimated $156 billion of data center projects were cancelled or delayed in 2025, and $130 billion in 1Q26. Community pushback against data center construction has accelerated in 2026 as new moratoriums have been introduced, with the majority of the change happening at the…