What Next | Daily News and Analysis TBD | Data Centers on the Ballot
19 snips
Nov 14, 2025 
Margaret Barthel, a WAMU/NPR reporter specializing in Northern Virginia, dives into the fascinating intersection of local politics and the booming data center industry. She highlights how data centers emerged as a crucial election issue across party lines. With insights on community concerns, economic promises, and the state's powerful incentives, Margaret explains the trade-offs local residents face. As the number of data centers grows, she suggests future elections will be shaped by energy costs and voter priorities linked to this rapid development.
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Issue Cuts Across Party Lines
- Data center concern cuts across party lines and appeals to voters of all affiliations.
- Margaret Barthel says local quality-of-life issues make it a uniquely bipartisan campaign topic.
Local Campaign Win Over Data Centers
- John McAuliffe ran on constraining data center development and won in District 30.
- He said discussing data centers often turned a passerby into an engaged voter on the doorstep.
Why Northern Virginia Became A Hub
- Northern Virginia became a data center hub due to early fiber and proximity to population centers.
- The region now supplies a significant share of North America's and the world's computing power.