By James Calloway

Spending on US political ads that mention data centers rose 61% month over month in September, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, which analyzed political ad spend tied to data center keywords for Marketing Brew.

The topic has moved from fringe to central. Roughly 20 US political ad campaigns featured data center messaging last month, up from just five in June — a near-quadrupling in four months, per Sensor Tower. Candidates, their ad teams and PACs are leaning into the issue as midterms approach, and Americans largely oppose data center construction, polling from Gallup shows.

Who is spending the most?

Three groups dominate the category as of October 2:

• Shapiro for Pennsylvania, the PAC supporting Governor Josh Shapiro's re-election, accounted for 42% of all national data center–focused messaging. More than 50% of the group's total 2026 ad spend mentioned data centers.
• Friends of Sherrod Brown, working to return former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown — who lost his Ohio seat in 2024 — to office, made up 13% of national data center ads.
• Friends of Byron Donalds PAC, backing Republican Rep. Byron Donalds's run for Florida governor, took 11%.

None of the three groups responded to requests for comment.

In short: one gubernatorial re-election effort is carrying nearly half the national spend on this message.

How are the ads using the issue?

Some campaigns treat data centers as attack material. Friends of Sherrod Brown ran a 30-second spot titled "Face of Data Centers" spotlighting opponent Sen. Jon Husted's past associations with the facilities.

The group has pushed that message hard on YouTube. Its YouTube ad spend on data center mentions climbed from 39% in July to 79% in August, Sensor Tower found. Overall US ad spend from the group on data center ads grew 81% month over month in August, and 38% of its July and August ad spend involved the topic — which, Sensor Tower noted, "could suggest it has become one of the campaign's primary messaging points as public opinion on data centers sours."

The takeaway: when an issue polls badly, it doesn't stay local — it becomes ammunition.

What does this mean for the broader ad market?

Total election-cycle ad spend is projected to hit $11.6 billion, per AdImpact, making 2026 the most expensive cycle on record. For non-political advertisers, that political money typically drives up prices and squeezes available inventory.

The data center theme is also leaking into brand advertising. Liquid Death and Garage Beer recently asked consumers to send their urine to AI data centers in a campaign framed as an effort to "save humanity."

With public opposition to data centers holding firm and billions still to be spent before November, marketers should expect the topic to keep pushing up political ad prices — and to keep spreading into commercial campaigns.