Candidates for governor are offering different visions for how to balance economic development with residents’ concerns over rising electricity demand, land use, and local control as data centers become a prominent issue in state politics.

The facilities that power cloud computing and artificial intelligence have become a flashpoint in several states as communities push back against large-scale developments. While few candidates oppose data centers outright, many are proposing new guardrails for where they can be built and how they affect nearby residents.