Voter anger over massive data center projects is reshaping U.S. politics. Utah State Senate President J. Stuart Adams — one of the state's most powerful Republicans — lost his primary after supporting a sprawling data center campus near the Great Salt Lake.

"Do I think that the data center vote cost me the election? Yes I do," former Box Elder County Commissioner Lee Perry said after conceding his primary race. Multiple county officials tied to the proposal were also unseated.

A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll found opposition to the Stratos Project rose from 53% to 60% in June, with Republican opposition jumping from 36% to 49%. Only 26% of voters now support the development, which is backed by investor Kevin O'Leary.

The Utah upheaval fits a growing national trend as voters in New York, Virginia, and other states increasingly make data centers the focus of their anxiety over AI's resource demands.

Sources: Newsweek, Deseret News