Minnesota GOP lawmakers grapple with data centers as Republican voters turn against the projects

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s derision of communities that oppose the construction of data centers as wanting to be “backwards and poor” has put some Minnesota Republicans in a tough spot.

Data centers have rapidly become one of the defining issues in this year’s midterm elections, with polls showing both Republican and Democratic voters rejecting these facilities that Trump maintains are job-producing boons.

A recent Economist/YouGov Poll found that more than half of those polled said data centers are “bad” while only 20% said they are a good thing. Democrats were particularly likely to view data center construction negatively with 61% saying it is bad for the country. Meanwhile, 39% of GOP respondents saw new data center cons...