Hassett predicts data-center growth will stay on track despite election restrictions

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on November 6, 2026, that data-center construction would keep growing as projected before the midterm election. Speaking to CNBC after voters backed restrictions in dozens of ballot measures, he argued that the next couple of years of scheduled projects were unaffected by those votes.

Local restrictions, national construction

For construction beyond that period, Hassett expects expansion in states with more welcoming governors. He also suggested that states hostile to development might reconsider their rules once the benefits became clearer. His argument rests on geographic flexibility: opposition in some places need not stop growth across the country.

Hassett said localities that do not want a data center do not have to allow one. He paired his national growth forecast with an acknowledgment of communities’ authority to reject facilities.

Voters put limits on development

Majorities voted to restrict data-center development in at least 46 of roughly 50 initiatives on 2026 ballots, according to Ballotpedia’s tally cited by CNBC. The votes imposed restrictions through individual ballot measures, rather than one nationwide decision on construction.

The CNBC Voter Poll found that 56% of midterm voters considered data centers a crucial or major issue. Among voters who called the issue crucial, 62% favored the generic Democratic candidate.

Market anxiety versus economic optimism

Hassett blamed Thursday’s tech-driven market decline on uncertainty about what the political change would mean for data centers. He said investors were anxious that the new majority would intervene in the sector.

But his economic optimism did not depend entirely on an unchanged construction pace. Even if data-center growth slowed somewhat, he argued, strength elsewhere could still sustain a “blockbuster economy.” He said the administration remained very optimistic about the outlook.