The red-state opportunity on data centers

Published March 1, 2026 5:00am ET



Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) renewed his call for a national ban on data center construction this week, and it is being heeded in blue states such as Colorado, where Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced just such a ban. With Democrats becoming more hostile to data center construction, Republicans have a huge opportunity to bring jobs, tax revenue, and increased electricity capacity to states they control.

In his statement before President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, Sanders praised Denver and warned of a “very real environmental impact” that data center construction was having on communities nationwide. It is true that data centers consume a lot of electricity, but data center construction does not have to mean higher electricity costs for surrounding communities if those communities build infrastructure to increase electricity generation and transmission capacity.

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