After Midterms, Slower Data Center Permits and Higher Costs — Not a Shutdown
BenBajarin · x · 2026-11-04
Creative Strategies assesses data center and power policy after the 2026 midterms: Democrats running against data center growth won governor's races in Texas and Ohio, and multiple towns passed local restrictions. Markets read this as a threat to the AI buildout, but the firm expects a more measured permitting process—costlier and slower—rather than a shutdown.
- Higher compliance costs favor the largest hyperscalers and best-funded neoclouds that can fund power and wait out delays, pressuring smaller developers
- The bipartisan consensus is responsible, community-minded buildout, not a halt
- The note separates operating sites from the next wave of projects and expects the buildout to continue
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