President Donald Trump’s longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio is advising Republican candidates on how to respond to growing political debate over artificial intelligence data centers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The memo cautions Republican candidates against offering blanket support for additional data center projects without addressing potential local impacts. Fabrizio recommends that candidates acknowledge concerns involving electricity costs, water use and other community effects while also discussing the economic and technological benefits associated with AI infrastructure.

The guidance comes as data centers have become an increasingly prominent issue in several congressional and state races. Democratic candidates and groups have raised concerns about the potential effect of large facilities on utility bills and local resources, while some Republicans have emphasized economic development, energy production and the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence.

Fabrizio’s memo also points to polling indicating that voters are more receptive to data center development when projects include conditions addressing their effects on surrounding communities. His recommendations encourage candidates to emphasize local decision-making and requirements that developers address costs associated with new projects.

The issue has already produced debate within the Republican Party. In August, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned AI companies that opposition to data centers could affect Republican candidates in competitive races, citing Ohio as an example. The NRSC urged the industry to better explain who benefits from the facilities, who pays for related infrastructure and why communities should support individual projects.

The debate comes as Republicans in Congress pursue legislation addressing the potential effect of data centers on electricity costs. House Republican leaders have scheduled consideration of a bipartisan measure that would require state utility regulators to consider rules requiring data centers to cover some costs associated with new power generation.

With data center projects expanding across the country, the issue is increasingly being addressed at both the federal and local levels, with candidates weighing the economic benefits of AI infrastructure against concerns about its effects on communities and utility customers.