Strong voter opposition to data centers becomes a central Democratic theme in Indiana House races

A Free Press Indiana poll taken in October 2026 found 69% of likely voters surveyed opposed new data center construction, with 18% in favor, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. Democrats say they are running the issue as a core affordability attack across a cluster of Republican-held districts in the northern Indianapolis suburbs and have candidates on the ballot in 97 of 100 House seats.

The Chronicle says Democrats are linking data centers to higher utility bills and generous tax breaks, citing reporting that data center companies received more than $655 million in state sales and other tax exemptions and pointing to Rep. Ed Soliday’s sponsorship of a 2019 sales tax exemption. The article also noted Meta’s $10 billion data center campus near Lebanon and that Democrats believe flipping at least four seats could break the GOP two-thirds supermajority in the House (GOP enters the cycle with a 70-30 majority).

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