Here’s the Conservative Playbook for Winning the AI Data-Center Debate– townhall.com
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EXCERPT:
Conservatives need a coherent approach to the increasingly contentious question of AI data-center development. At the moment, the Right is all over the map, with President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance emphasizing the need to build the infrastructure required for American AI dominance, while Republican governors including Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis have approached new data-center development with far greater skepticism, and, at times, open hostility.
Taylor Budowich, president of the Innovation Council, has laid out the organized approach conservatives should take. First and foremost, we must listen to people’s concerns and ensure we oppose data-center projects that could drain communities dry. But in most places, conservatives should also recognize that communities are practically begging for data-center construction because of the investment and economic benefits these projects can bring. Our policy approach should give people the freedom to decide for themselves whether they want a data center built in their community, not impose sweeping statewide or federal moratoria that deny every town that choice and control over their economic future.
Innovation Council President @Budowich lays out how to deal with concerns about data centers.
Start by listening to people’s concerns—and take them seriously.
Good policy is good politics. And good policy is: not a single shovel should go in the ground, and not a single slab… pic.twitter.com/yYbAvh2GA1
— Innovation Council (@innovationcncl) August 25, 2026
“I think part of the problem is actually the premise, which is we’re thinking about it in political terms. I’m a believer of the Reaganism, good policy makes good politics. So the question should be what’s good policy here?” Budowich said. “I think good policy is not a single shovel should go in the ground, not a single slab of concrete should be laid, if there’s a data center that’s taking from the community. These data centers, this industry, shouldn’t be draining our communities, it should be feeding our communities.”