Election 2026 Nevada Data Centers

Voters across the country are worried about the effects artificial intelligence data centers are having on electricity bills, water and the environment. The data center issue has dominated the competitive governor’s race in Nevada, where 80% of the land is owned by the federal government. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is fighting Democratic challenger Aaron Ford, the state's attorney general. The winner will see the state through the push by President Donald Trump's Republican administration for AI data center development including on public lands. Lombardo doesn’t outright oppose building data centers on public lands, as long as they have community support. Ford pledges to oppose data centers on public lands.