As loyal Republican, Reece Payton said that
he and his family of cattle ranchers in Hogansville, Georgia, had one thing on
their minds when they cast their ballots (a system or
occasion of secret voting（不記名）投票) in November for the state’s utility board – “to make a statement.”
They were already irked
(/ɝːk/ to annoy someone使厭煩，使惱火) by their escalating (to become or make something become greater or more serious
（使）增強；（使）擴大；（使）加劇；（使）惡化) electric bills. But
after they heard a data center might be built next to their Logos Ranch, they
had enough of Republicans who seemed far too receptive to the interests of the
booming artificial intelligence industry.
“That’s the first time I ever voted
Democrat,” Payton, 58, said.
Message sent.
In some of Georgia’s reddest and most rural counties, Republicans crossed party
lines in November and helped propel (to push or move something
somewhere, often with a lot of force推進，推動) two Democrats, Peter Hubbard
and Alicia Johnson, to landslide (the
winning of an election with an extremely large number of votes
（選舉中）一方選票佔壓倒性多數，大勝) upsets (an occasion when someone beats
the team or player that was expected to win爆冷門), ousting (to force someone to leave a position of
power, job, place, or competition將…趕下臺，罷免，廢黜;趕走;淘汰) the incumbent (officially
having the named position
現任的;在職的) candidates on the Georgia
Public Service Commission. No Democrat has served on the five-person
commission, which regulates utilities and helps set climate and energy policy,
since 2007.
Across the country, Democrats have seized
on rising anxiety over electricity costs and data centers in what could be a template
(something
that is used as a pattern for producing other similar things範本，樣板) for the 2026 midterm
elections.
In Virginia, Gov.-elect (Gov.-elect 翻譯成中文是**「準州長/準省長/準縣長」，指的是「當選但尚未就任」**的州/省/縣/地方政府首長，其中 Gov. 是 Governor (州長、省長、縣長等地方首長)的縮寫，而 elect 則表示「已當選的、選出的」意思。) Abigail Spanberger (pledged a serious or formal promise,
especially one to give money or to be a friend, or something that you give as a
sign that you will keep a promise誓言;諾言;保證) during her campaign to
lower energy bills and make data centers pay more.
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill promised to declare a state of emergency
on utility costs and freeze rates. And in Memphis, Tennessee, state Rep. Justin
J. Pearson, who is challenge Rep. Steve Cohen in a high-profile Democratic primary next year,
has vowed to fight a supercomputer
by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, that would be located in a
predominantly Black neighborhood.
Strong opposition by citizens forced the Tucson City
Council in August to pull the plug (to do something that prevents an activity from continuing,
especially by no longer giving money to support it制止，阻止（某事繼續）;釜底抽薪（尤指停止資助）on an Amazon data center slated (a list of people who are being considered for a
particular job or position, especially in politics（尤指在政治活動中的）候選人名單) for that Arizona
city, and then in September forced Google to call off (to decide that a planned event, especially a sports
event, will not happen, or to end an activity because it is no longer useful or
possible取消，停止，中止（尤指體育賽事）one in
Indianapolis.
“Electricity is the new price of eggs,” said Charles Hua, executive director of Powerlines, a nonpartisan (not a member of or connected with a group or political party非黨派的) organization that aims to modernize utility regulations and reduce power bills. “This is a defining moment for politicians of all stripes (of all types各類)—what’s your answer to lowering utility bills?” Because I think consumers and voters are looking for leadership on this.” (David W. Chen)
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