Economy

Your Power Bill Just Became a Campaign Issue, and Data Centers Are Why

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2026 – Three weeks before Election Day, one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country is being fought over something most voters never thought about until recently: the huge warehouses of computer servers that power artificial intelligence. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown is running ads that call Republican Sen.…

By Tejanshu Jaluthria · October 12, 2026 (updated October 12, 2026)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2026 – Three weeks before Election Day, one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country is being fought over something most voters never thought about until recently: the huge warehouses of computer servers that power artificial intelligence.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown is running ads that call Republican Sen. Jon Husted the “face of data centers in Ohio.” Husted answers that he wrote the bill meant to protect families from paying for them. President Donald Trump keeps praising the facilities anyway. The question behind all of it lands on every kitchen table: are data centers raising electricity bills?

Track the Costs Behind Your Energy Bill

Power bills, gas prices and tariffs all feed the affordability fight in this election. Watch the numbers as they move:

Live Oil Price Tracker →
Brent and WTI in real time, the energy price that sits behind pump prices and utility costs.

Live Trump Tariff Tracker →
Every tariff moves as it lands, since tariffs on equipment and materials add to the cost of building the grid.

Why Are Power Bills Going Up?

The numbers are not in dispute. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s October outlook puts the average U.S. household electricity price at 17.3 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2025, rising to 18.2 cents in 2026 and 18.7 cents in 2027. That is roughly a 25% jump from 2022 levels.

Several things push those bills up. Aging power lines need replacing. Natural gas prices move up and down. Storms keep damaging the grid. But the newest and fastest-growing cost driver is demand from large data centers.

A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report found data centers used about 4.4% of all U.S. electricity in 2023, and said that share could double or even triple by 2028. When demand grows that fast, utilities must build new power plants, substations and transmission lines. Unless the rules say otherwise, those costs are often spread across every customer, including households.

Energy costs are already stretched by the Iran war, which has pushed Brent crude above $100 and gasoline near $4.36 a gallon, as we detailed in Trump’s “right after the midterms” claim on when the war ends. Higher power bills land on top of higher pump prices.

The PJM Warning Sign

The clearest evidence of AI data center power costs reaching homes comes from PJM Interconnection, the grid operator serving 13 states plus Washington, D.C., including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

PJM runs an annual auction to lock in enough power supply for future years. The price in that auction went from $28.92 per megawatt-day for 2024/25 to $269.92 for 2025/26, then to the price cap of $329.17 for 2026/27 and $333.44 for 2027/28. That is an increase of more than eleven times in just two years.

PJM and its independent market monitor have both pointed to fast-rising forecasts of data center demand as a main reason. These capacity charges are only one part of a monthly bill, but they flow straight through to customers. The Natural Resources Defense Council has projected that an average family in the region could pay about $70 more per month by 2028 if current trends continue.

Utility costs and energy liability are also reaching the courts, as in the Supreme Court’s new climate case, where a ruling against oil majors could ripple into energy markets.

What Is The Ratepayer Protection Act?

Congress has noticed. Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act on July 16, 2026. It would require state utility regulators to consider rules making very large electricity users, those with 100 megawatts or more of peak demand, pay the full added cost of serving them. That includes new generation, transmission and distribution upgrades.

“In plain language, if you create the cost, you should pay the cost,” Husted said on the Senate floor.

The House passed its version 417–3 on Sept. 16. The next day, Husted tried to pass the Senate bill by unanimous consent. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., objected. He argued the bill “does nothing to meaningfully address the rising costs of AI data center development” because it “relies on a voluntary framework.” The League of Conservation Voters made the same point, saying states “could ultimately choose to ignore this bill.”

The bill now sits on the Senate calendar. With Congress out until after the election, it is unlikely to become law before voters decide.

A single objection stalling a bill is a familiar Senate story. We saw the same dynamic when Trump posted Sen. Tom Cotton’s phone number over one senator’s block on the clock bill.

Jon Husted, Data Centers And The Ohio Senate Race

For Husted, the timing is awkward. Ohio has become one of the country’s busiest data center markets, and Brown has made that his main line of attack.

“We know that our electric rates in this state are some of the highest in the country,” Brown said in September. Husted calls Brown “such a hypocrite,” pointing out that Brown welcomed an Amazon expansion in Ohio back in 2015. Husted’s position is that “local decisions decide whether they want data centers in their community.”

Polls show a close Ohio Senate race. Surveys in September ranged from a near tie (Quantus Insights: Brown 45.6%, Husted 45.3%) to a 5-point Brown lead (InsiderAdvantage: 47%–42%). That is notable in a state Trump won by 11 points in 2024. The National Republican Senatorial Committee itself warned in a memo that data centers are a “sleeper issue” that leaves Husted exposed. Meanwhile, organizers are collecting signatures for a statewide referendum to ban new data center construction.

Ohio is one of several red states where Republicans are on defense. Trump’s recent Vandalia stop, where the crowd went quiet as he defended data centers, is covered in our look at why Trump is rallying in red states ahead of the midterms.

Trump: “I Would Absolutely Want It”

The president has not backed away. In August, Trump said he “would absolutely want” a data center in his own area “because the jobs are enormous,” adding that the industry needs “a little public relations help.” In July, he went further: “As new data centers go up… electricity bills for American families will actually come down.”

Trump has also pressed tech companies to “build your own plant” and pay their own way. Large firms, including Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft, signed a voluntary White House pledge earlier this year to shield households from higher utility bills.

Voters are not convinced. A UMass Amherst poll found only 11% support building a data center in their area, while 65% oppose it. An NBC News survey found 64% are less likely to back a candidate who supports local data centers.

The AI race also has a China dimension. Washington and Beijing have opened a new AI dialogue, part of the trade-first approach covered in our report on Taiwan fending for itself as Trump pivots toward China.

Beyond Ohio

The fight is spreading. In Nevada, Democrat Aaron Ford wants to end what he estimates are $200 million in state tax breaks for data centers. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has promised to remove a sales tax exemption after attacks from his challenger. In Wisconsin, Trump-endorsed Republican Tom Tiffany is running ads against “Data Center David Crowley.”

Who pays, and who wins?

The basic tension is simple. Data centers bring construction jobs, tax revenue and a lead in the AI race. They also bring huge new demand for power, and under today’s rules households often pick up part of the bill.

Whether the solution is a voluntary federal framework, tougher state rules or local bans, voters in Ohio and beyond will have their first chance to weigh in on Nov. 3. For millions of Americans, the AI boom is no longer a tech story. It is a line item on the monthly power bill.

For more coverage of the midterms and the issues driving them, visit DonaldTrump.Coach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are data centers raising electricity bills?

In many regions, yes, at least in part. Data centers drive fast growth in power demand, which forces utilities to build new plants and power lines. In the PJM grid region, capacity prices rose more than elevenfold in two years, with data center demand cited as a main driver. Those costs are passed to all customers unless regulators assign them to the large users.

Why are power bills going up?

The main reasons are higher demand (largely from data centers and electrification), spending on aging grid infrastructure, storm repairs and swings in natural gas prices. The EIA expects average residential prices to rise about 5% in 2026.

Why are Democrats opposing the Ratepayer Protection Act?

Sen. Martin Heinrich and environmental groups argue it is too weak because states only have to “consider” the new cost rules and can choose to ignore them. Supporters say it is the most meaningful bipartisan step available.

How are AI data center power costs affecting the Ohio Senate race?

Sherrod Brown has made data centers his central attack on Jon Husted, linking them to high Ohio electric rates. Husted points to his Ratepayer Protection Act. Polls show a tight race, and even Republican strategists have called data centers a “sleeper issue.”

What has Jon Husted said about data centers?

Husted says companies that create new electricity demand should pay for it: “If you create the cost, you should pay the cost.” He also says communities, not Washington, should decide whether to host data centers.

What is Trump’s position on data centers?

Trump strongly supports them, citing jobs and the AI race. He has said he’d “absolutely want” one nearby, while also asking tech companies to build their own power plants and cover their own costs.

References & Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration – Short-Term Energy Outlook: Electricity, Coal and Renewables (Oct. 2026)
Office of Sen. Jon Husted – Husted leads bill to protect Americans from footing the bill for new data centers
Office of Sen. Jon Husted – Husted bill… blocked from passage
AP via Kiowa County Press – Trump likes data centers. Congress seems stuck. The midterms could deliver a verdict.
PBS NewsHour – Trump keeps embracing data centers, an unpopular topic in midterm races
Newsweek – Democrats Take Upper Hand on Data Centers in Ohio Senate Battle
CNBC – Bill to curb AI data center utility costs hits snag in Senate
The Hill – Will Jon Husted’s data center bill curb rising energy costs?
Mediaite – Trump pushes ‘absolutely incredible’ data centers across US
Ohio Capital Journal – Energy market watchers see Ohio electric bills rising as data center demand continues
FOX News Rundown – Data Centers, Tariffs, and Affordability: The Issues Driving Races in Ohio and Maine
CNBC – Trump has an AI data center problem ahead of the midterms
PJM Interconnection – Base Residual Auction results, 2024/25 through 2027/28 delivery years (pjm.com)