El-Sayed Gains Ground in Michigan as Voters Turn Against Data Centers

El-Sayed Takes Advantage of Public Sentiment on Data Centers

As artificial intelligence and the data centers that power it become increasingly unpopular with voters, progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is capitalizing on this issue in Michigan's U.S. Senate race. A New York Times/Siena poll released Thursday found that 46 percent of Michigan voters trust El-Sayed to handle AI and data centers, compared with 35 percent who favor Republican former Representative Mike Rogers.

The poll also shows widespread public skepticism about the technology, with 66 percent opposing the construction of AI data centers and only 29 percent supporting it. This shift in public opinion presents a key opportunity for El-Sayed, whose campaign has made opposition to new data centers a central plank.

El-Sayed's Edge in Key Demographics

El-Sayed's advantage on data centers is wider than his lead in the overall race. The poll shows him ahead 49 percent to 44 percent among likely voters overall. Age emerges as a sharp divide, with El-Sayed leading by 71 points among voters ages 18 to 29 and by 21 points among those 30 to 44. Rogers leads by 16 points among voters 45 to 64 and by 5 points among those 65 and older.

The partisan split is nearly complete, with only 3 percent of Democrats backing Rogers, roughly matching the share of Republicans who backed El-Sayed. Independents look different in this poll than in others, with El-Sayed holding a 1-point edge in the Times/Siena survey, while Suffolk had him ahead by 16 points with that group.

Where El-Sayed Stands on Data Centers

El-Sayed has made opposition to data centers a central part of his campaign. He has called for state and local moratoriums on new facilities until federal rules require union jobs, prevent utility bill increases, protect water resources, and fund power-grid investments.

His earlier plan called for developers to guarantee no utility rate increases and pay for their own energy demands while requiring greater community transparency. El-Sayed has also used the issue to attack Rogers, accusing him of investing "up to $2.6 million...in the data center boom" while Michiganders face higher utility bills.

When President Donald Trump criticized data-center opponents on social media in August, El-Sayed sought to link the president's comments to Rogers, saying Trump's position reflected his opponent's stance.

Rogers' Position Shifts Amid Backlash

Rogers' position has shifted during the campaign. He initially avoided taking a public stance, declining to answer questions about data centers in January. By March, he said Michigan should compete for AI-related jobs and investment while arguing that data centers should pay for their own electricity so residents would not face higher bills.

In April, he pointed to tax revenue from a proposed Saline Township data center and said it could help lower property taxes. In August, Rogers reversed course, telling The Detroit News: "I think we need a pause, probably." He later called for a one-year moratorium on new data centers.

The reversal came days after The Lever reported on Rogers' investments tied to the data center boom. The Detroit Metro Times also reported that the National Republican Senatorial Committee had warned that anger over data centers threatened Republicans in competitive races.

Rogers' new position puts him at odds with the White House. In August, Trump said communities opposing data centers wanted to be "backwards and poor." Vice President JD Vance did not mention data centers during his Michigan visit that day.

Data Centers as a National Midterm Issue

Michigan is one of several Senate battlegrounds where the fight over AI infrastructure has become a campaign issue. Newsweek found that eight of the nine closest Senate races, based on the Cook Political Report's ratings, are in states with at least one planned data center, according to the infrastructure tracking site Cleanview.

Opposition to the facilities crosses party lines. In June, 64 percent of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos survey said they disagreed with building data centers at the current scale and pace. An NBC News poll found the same share of registered voters would be less likely to support a candidate who backs building the facilities in their community.

Democrats hold a modest edge on the issue. The NBC News poll found voters trusted them more on "dealing with data centers," 32 percent to 20 percent. One-quarter of respondents said they trusted neither party. On artificial intelligence more broadly, a national New York Times/Siena poll gave Republicans a 2-point advantage, within its margin of error.

Republican leaders have taken notice. In a memo, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned that the issue had become "a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle." Rogers' reversal on data centers came days after that memo.

Frankly, any incumbent, Republican or Democrat, should be concerned about being tagged as pro-data center," political strategist Pete Seat, a former spokesman for President George W. Bush, told Newsweek.

Veteran Republican strategist John Thomas said the backlash is about costs that hit households directly. "Voters are not asking Washington to surrender the AI race to China," he told Newsweek. "They are asking why their electric bills, water, and grid should subsidize a tech campus they never voted for."

Hasan Piker's Role in the Race

El-Sayed has tried to draw a clear line between himself and left-wing streamer Hasan Piker without fully cutting ties to the podcaster, who hosted him nearly 100 times and campaigned with him during the primary.

Most Michigan voters still don't know who Piker is, the Times/Siena poll found. Fifty-four percent of likely voters said they had never heard of him.

Those who do know him mostly dislike him. Thirty-four percent of voters viewed Piker unfavorably, including 29 percent who viewed him very unfavorably. Just 6 percent had a favorable opinion of him.

Rogers has made the association a central line of attack, part of a broader effort to cast El-Sayed as too extreme for Michigan. The poll suggests that argument has found an audience. Half of voters said "extreme" better describes El-Sayed, while 36 percent said it better describes Rogers.

Voters in the poll also held a negative view of socialism, 57 percent to 26 percent. Seventeen percent of likely voters described themselves as Democratic socialists.

None of this has cost El-Sayed his lead on the ballot. Voters said El-Sayed has good character, 46 percent to 39 percent over Rogers. They also said he would be the more effective senator, 47 percent to 43 percent.

Race Dynamics and Campaign Developments

The Times/Siena poll caps a strong stretch for El-Sayed. This week, Sabato's Crystal Ball moved the race from "Toss-up" to "Leans Democratic," calling El-Sayed a "soft favorite" over Rogers.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris joined El-Sayed at a campaign event in Detroit this week. El-Sayed said he hoped to expand his coalition to include voters who backed Harris in 2024.

The candidates have yet to debate. Rogers skipped a televised debate on Fox 2 Detroit last week, saying he "never agreed" to it, while El-Sayed spoke for an hour beside an empty podium. Rogers accused moderator Roop Raj of bias, a claim Raj rejected. Rogers said two televised debates are scheduled for October.

Forecasts and betting markets have also moved toward El-Sayed. Decision Desk HQ gives him a 67 percent chance of winning, with its director of data science, Scott Tranter, saying that "time is running out" for Rogers to close the gap.

Spending is climbing, too. Spending in the race is approaching the $222 million spent on Michigan's 2024 Senate contest. Six of the top 10 outside spenders this year are backing Rogers.