The energy needs of the AI boom and the construction of massive data centers in states across the country have created a backlash from both Democratic and Republican voters. The battle against data centers is at the heart of a campaign in Tennessee: Democratic state Representative Justin J. Pearson is opposed to the Colossus data centers built by Elon Musk’s xAI in the Memphis area. Pearson is running against Republican state Senator Brent Taylor in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, which, after recent redistricting, includes parts of Memphis, as well as rural and suburban counties.

“Across the 15 counties that I’ve traveled, I’ve yet to meet anyone, including folks who are Republicans who are voting for us, who want data centers,” says Pearson. “Gas is high; groceries are high; healthcare costs are high; wages are low. Yet the billionaire class continues to profit off of our pain and pillage our communities and our pocketbooks.”

Transcript

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to an issue that has become a major bipartisan flashpoint in the midterms this year, pitting local communities against multibillion-dollar technology companies: AI data centers. The energy needs of the AI boom and the construction of massive data centers in state after state have created a backlash from both Democratic and Republican voters. New data shows that 75% of data centers under construction and 80% of those in the planning stages are located in predominantly Republican states.

This is an ad from Texas by Democrat Gina Hinojosa running against Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

TEXTER: Why is my electric bill going up?

CHATBOT: Absolutely, happy to help. Data center production and energy use in Texas is skyrocketing to meet AI’s needs — for your future.

TEXTER: What? Who authorized that?

CHATBOT: Greg Abbott. Abbott took $20 million in campaign donations from data center executives and companies, and he gave them billions in tax breaks — for your future.

TEXTER: My future? How does this help me?

CHATBOT: Absolutely. Absolutely. Great — great question. Happy to help.

AMY GOODMAN: And it’s not just Democrats who are opposing data centers. In Wisconsin, Republican gubernatorial candidate Congressmember Tom Tiffany has run this ad criticizing his Democratic opponent, David Crowley.

NARRATOR: Meet Data Center David Crowley.

DAVID CROWLEY: There’s an opportunity for us to really become a AI and a data hub for — not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.

NARRATOR: And he wants you to pay for it. Data Center David Crowley won’t roll back data center tax incentives. Our lakes run dry. Family farms paved over. Why? Because Crowley’s campaign is funded by the people building them.

AMY GOODMAN: President Trump, however, has remained adamant in his defense of data centers and the Big Tech owners. In August, he wrote online, quote, “The only reason communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” President Trump wrote.

Well, the battle against data centers is at the heart of one campaign in Tennessee. We’re joined now by Democratic state Representative Justin J. Pearson, who’s opposed the Colossus data centers built by Elon Musk’s xAI in the Memphis area. Pearson is running for Congress against Republican state Senator Brent Taylor in Tennessee’s recently redistricted 9th Congressional District, which includes parts of Memphis, as well as rural and suburban counties.

Justin Pearson, thanks so much for being with us again. Talk about the significance of this battle we’re seeing all over the country. We’re going to talk about that in a minute with Paris Marx. But in Memphis, what are you up against?

REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON: Listen, Elon Musk built the world’s largest data center three miles away from our home, and the idea was that we were just supposed to accept that and the little bit of dollars in taxes that we receive, and be silent about the harm of formaldehyde, the harm of nitrogen oxide, the illegal gas turbines that he’s operated in Memphis. And now he has 59 illegal gas turbines in North Mississippi that are polluting the air of people in Memphis and Whitehaven and Westwood and Boxtown.

But across the 15 counties that I’ve traveled, I’ve yet to meet anyone, including folks who are Republicans who are voting for us, who want data centers. It’s the clearest example of the billionaire class versus the rest of us and exploiting our natural resources so they can make more profit.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, indeed, as you said, if these things were so good, they would be built at Mar-a-Lago. I’d like to ask you, Justin, about the Memphis City Council members having passed two ordinances early this month — earlier this month about data centers. Could you tell us what those are about?

REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON: Yes. So, right now the Memphis City Council has a moratorium vote coming up on the 20th, as well as other regulation that they’re looking at, as well, that’ll be going through the process over the next several weeks. But I’m advocating alongside other members of our community for a data center moratorium in Memphis and also in Shelby County. In the House of Representatives, I represent a town called Millington, and just yesterday they passed a data center moratorium.

But I believe local governments have a responsibility to protect the air, to protect the water of our constituents and our communities that are being inundated by hyperscale data centers that are seeking to pollute and harm our communities without any input given by the people who live there. And a lot of the people who live in our rural towns and communities that I’m visiting and talking with, they don’t want these hyperscale data centers, either.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: And could you talk about the lawsuit? The NAACP has sued Musk’s xAI earlier this year, in June.

REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON: Yeah, so, the NAACP, alongside Young, Gifted & Green and Southern Environmental Law Center, are suing xAI because they’re illegally violating the Clean Air Act, operating over 59 gas turbines that are the — making them the largest producer of nitrogen oxide, which is smog, a ground-level ozone pollution, in our entire region. And they have not at all gotten permission to do that via the Clean Air Act through the Environmental Protection Agency, and instead are exploiting their relationship with the governor and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to allow them to hurt, harm and kill the people who live in our community.

And even the Department of Justice, Trump’s Department of Justice, has tried to enjoin the lawsuit, which they’ve been denied, saying that Grok and xAI, their chatbot, is necessary because it’s being used to kill people in the Iran war. And so, what’s being powered in our neighborhood is killing and hurting people all across this world. And we in our community, we don’t want it. And it is taking community resistance and community building in order to show our disdain for this, but also the power that we have to stop it.

AMY GOODMAN: Justin Pearson, you’re well known for taking on the powers that be, you and another state legislator, another Justin, Justin Jones. You were sanctioned by — you were thrown out, expelled from the Tennessee Legislature for taking on the gun lobby after a horrific massacre, gun massacre, that took place in Nashville. Now you’re taking on the most power — the wealthiest person on Earth, Elon Musk, with his xAI data centers. And it’s just been revealed in investigations of dark money by The New York Times that he has poured over $300 million into the midterm elections. You are trying to win a seat in Congress for the first time from Memphis. Why have you decided to take on Elon Musk? And how much money, do you know, is he pouring in against you in your congressional race?

REP. JUSTIN J. PEARSON: Yes, I am never afraid to take on the richest person in the world financially, I’m not afraid to take on the president of the United States, who just mentioned us in his rally two days ago, because I will do anything that I possibly can to improve the quality of lives for people in Tennessee. The truth of the matter is, gas is high; groceries are high; healthcare costs are high; wages are low. Yet the billionaire class continues to profit off of our pain and pillage our communities and our pocketbooks.

Look, we know he’s spending over $300 million. I believe he’s going to start spending millions in our race, because it is so extremely close. You know, they drew this district to be plus-21 for Trump, and most recent polls have us within just four points of winning this. I just learned yesterday that Donald Trump’s super PAC is starting to spend money in our district. They are terrified about the multiracial coalition that we’re building, about the fact that we’re getting rural folks together and people who live in urban areas together to fight back against the tyranny of government and against the billionaire class. But they’re not going to prevail, because on Election Day, we all just get one vote, and we’re going to have more votes at the end of the day.

AMY GOODMAN: Justin J. Pearson, Democratic state representative from Tennessee, running for Congress to represent Memphis and Shelby County.

Up next, Paris Marx, author of the new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires. Stay with us.

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AMY GOODMAN: “Hi-Fly” by the late legendary pianist and composer Randy Weston. To see our interview and his performances, go to democracynow.org.