How could the US midterm results impact the data center market?

Data centers (DC) were a key part of the conversation in the recent US midterms, and in three of the biggest DC markets voters picked governors who wanted to slow things down. Here’s what happened and what it could mean for hiring. 

• In Texas, Gina Hinojosa beat Greg Abbott to become the state's first Democratic governor in more than 30 years. She has said she will put a moratorium on data center approvals until the Legislature writes proper rules for the industry.  
• In Ohio, Amy Acton beat Vivek Ramaswamy on a promise of a "conditional moratorium". New sites would have to cover all their own utility costs and be built with union labour.  
• In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms wants a temporary statewide pause while the state works out what these sites are doing to the grid, water supplies and household bills. 
• In Piqua, a city in Ohio where Meta planned a $1 billion campus, voters recalled the mayor and two commissioners who backed the deal. Two-thirds of them also voted to ban data center construction in the city altogether.

The DC market has grown rapidly for years, and a slowdown was always likely at some point. These results may bring that forward in some states. But data centers are critical infrastructure, and demand isn’t going away. 

What will change, if anything? 

None of the three new governors are proposing a permanent stop. So many industries are reliant on data centers, from AI and cloud to banking, healthcare and government, that a long-term halt would be hard to sustain. 

What’s more likely to change is the pace of growth, along with the paperwork needed to get a project approved. Texas matters most here. It accounts for more than a quarter of planned US data center capacity, and approvals there have been on hold since August (before the midterms). That pause now looks set to run into next year while the new rules are written. 

Projects that are already permitted, connected and in the ground should carry on as planned. The ones most exposed to delay are projects still waiting for approval, including some already in the Texas queue. Some of those may simply move to states with clearer rules. 

Which roles could potentially be affected if new laws are added to slow growth?  

When the new governors take charge, depending on what legislation they want to bring in and how quickly they can make it law, then we may start to see changes but it’s too early to say what will change exactly. 

• Early-stage roles. Site selection, land acquisition, development managers and pre-construction teams all work on projects that don't have permits yet. In Texas, Ohio and Georgia, we could potentially expect fewer new roles here and longer hiring timelines while developers wait to see what the new rules (if any) look like. 
• Delivery and operations roles should hold. Projects already permitted will carry on, and they still need construction managers, MEP superintendents, electrical and mechanical leads, QA/QC and commissioning engineers. Every site that goes live also needs critical facilities engineers, facility managers and shift technicians. 
• Some roles will grow because of the new rules. If developers have to fund their own grid upgrades and prove their water use, they need people who can do that. That means grid interconnection and power procurement specialists, permitting leads who can get through tougher regimes, and engineers who know on-site generation and low-water cooling.  

What organizations can do about it 

If you're hiring in the US, don't freeze – continue as is. The 2027 pipeline still must be built and run, and those people were hard to find before any of this happened. 

If you're a candidate in commissioning, construction or operations, demand isn't going anywhere soon. If you work in development or site acquisition in Texas, Ohio or Georgia, it's worth thinking now about where the next wave of projects could potentially land if rules change.