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AI money is flooding battleground states. Build American AI, an advocacy group backed by AI billionaires, just launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign across Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin — and the goal is pretty much one thing: push back against the growing wave of opposition to data centers. The effort runs through the super PAC Leading the Future, and the group says it wants to counter “the loudest and most extreme voices” deciding what gets built and what doesn’t. The exact budget? Undisclosed, but confirmed to be in the millions.
The timing isn’t random. A recent Annenberg Public Policy Center poll found that 61% of 1,320 U.S. adults now oppose new data centers in their area. That’s up from 49% earlier in the year — a big jump in a short window. And it’s not a partisan thing. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents all said no. That kind of cross-aisle resistance is the kind that makes political consultants nervous.
75 Projects Blocked, $130 Billion at Risk
The opposition isn’t just sentiment on a poll. It’s turning into concrete action at the city and state level. New York has enforced a moratorium on hyperscale data centers. Texas has paused approvals. Austin and Jersey City have both put bans in place. Data Center Watch tracked 75 projects — worth roughly $130 billion — that were blocked or delayed in early 2026. Lenders are starting to notice. That kind of opposition creates real credit risk, and banks aren’t ignoring it.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has reportedly warned AI companies that the issue is getting toxic fast. In Ohio, Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown has built part of his campaign around it, going after Republican Senator Jon Husted on the data center question. President Donald Trump has weighed in too, saying opposition to data centers could leave communities “backwards and poor” and claiming China benefits from the backlash.
Hard to say whether that message lands in Kansas or Wisconsin. Probably depends on the zip code.
Bitcoin Miners Pivot to AI — and It’s Paying Off
Here’s where it gets interesting for the crypto crowd. Bitcoin miners have been through this exact fight before — local opposition, noise complaints, power concerns, hostile regulators. And some of them are now turning that hard experience into an advantage. Miners transitioning into AI infrastructure are sitting on something valuable: interconnection rights. Those rights are expensive and slow to acquire, and AI labs need them badly. So miners are renting them out.
The deals are real and they’re big. TeraWulf signed a 20-year, $19 billion lease with Anthropic for a Kentucky campus. Hut 8 locked in a $9.8 billion commitment on a Texas site for AI use. IREN pulled in a $3.4 billion cloud agreement with Nvidia. That’s not small money. That’s a full industry pivot, and it’s happening now.
The Granbury, Texas situation kind of captures the whole mess. Residents there filed a lawsuit against MARA Holdings over a Bitcoin mining site — citing insomnia, headaches, general disruption. It’s a cautionary story for AI infrastructure too, since the operational footprint is similar: high energy draw, noise, round-the-clock activity. Communities that already went through that with miners aren’t eager to sign up again with a different logo on the building.
There’s also a regulatory vacuum sitting underneath all of this. A lot of the public opposition seems tied to a feeling that government isn’t doing enough to manage AI expansion. People aren’t just worried about noise. They’re worried about what AI actually is and who’s watching it. Data centers become the visible, physical target for a much bigger anxiety. Build American AI is betting that a multi-million dollar ad campaign can shift that. It’s a gamble.
The crypto-to-AI transition, though, keeps moving regardless of the political noise. Miners spent years acquiring interconnection rights that nobody else wanted. Now those rights are the hottest asset in the infrastructure market. TeraWulf’s 20-year Anthropic deal alone is worth more than most mining operations ever dreamed of. Hut 8 and IREN aren’t far behind.
Seventy-five blocked projects. One hundred thirty billion dollars sitting in limbo. And former Bitcoin miners are collecting billions in lease deals while the fight plays out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which states is the Build American AI ad campaign targeting?
The campaign is running in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin, with funding channeled through the super PAC Leading the Future.
What deals have Bitcoin miners signed with AI companies?
TeraWulf signed a 20-year, $19 billion lease with Anthropic for a Kentucky campus, Hut 8 committed a Texas site worth $9.8 billion for AI use, and IREN secured a $3.4 billion cloud agreement with Nvidia.
Why It Matters
The influx of funding from AI billionaires into advertising campaigns highlights the increasing tension between technological advancement and local opposition, particularly in regions where data centers are proposed. As these projects face delays, the pushback could signal broader implications for the growth of AI infrastructure, potentially influencing regulatory frameworks and investment strategies in the tech sector. This campaign may also shape public perception and policy decisions that affect not only the AI industry but also the future landscape of digital innovation in the U.S.
