Missouri voters recall council member over $6B AI data center deal

Voters in Independence, Missouri delivered a decisive rebuke to a longtime city official Tuesday, recalling City Councilmember John Perkins with nearly 70% support after he voted to approve billions in tax incentives for a massive AI data center project.

The recall marks the latest political casualty in Independence over the proposed facility. Two other council members who supported the data center — Bridget McCandless and Jared Fears — already lost their seats in April elections, according to NBC News, which first reported the recall results.

The $150 billion project at the center of controversy

In March, Perkins joined four other council members in approving more than $6 billion in tax breaks for Dutch company Nebius to build a planned $150 billion AI data center on the eastern edge of the Kansas City suburb of 121,000 residents.

The vote came despite vocal opposition. More than 50 community members attended and spoke at the council meeting where the incentives were approved. The progressive Sunrise Movement's local chapter organized a letter-writing campaign urging officials to reject the tax breaks.

Opposition has only intensified since. A Facebook group called "Stop the AI Data Center in Independence" has grown to 115,000 members — nearly matching the city's entire population. Members celebrated Tuesday's recall results, with one writing that the outcome represented "democracy in action."

In a recent Kansas City Star op-ed, Perkins defended his record and stood by the data center vote, urging voters to judge him on his full tenure. "Disagreement isn't a crime, and I don't believe it is grounds to attempt to overturn an election that happened two years ago," he wrote. Perkins has not commented publicly on the recall results.

Why it matters

The Independence recall reflects a broader pattern of community resistance to AI data centers that is beginning to shape electoral politics nationwide ahead of November's midterm elections. The facilities require enormous amounts of electricity and often receive substantial tax incentives, creating local flashpoints over resource allocation and development priorities. Some Republican candidates have found themselves opposing President Donald Trump, who recently wrote on Truth Social that communities rejecting data centers "want to end up being backwards and poor." The political calculus around AI infrastructure is forcing elected officials to choose between economic development promises and constituent concerns about costs and impacts.

A national trend ahead of midterms

The backlash in Independence mirrors growing resistance to data center proliferation across the country. Opposition to these facilities is now influencing federal and local races heading into the November midterm elections, with candidates increasingly forced to take positions on data center development.

The political tensions have created unusual dynamics, including some Republicans breaking with Trump over his strong support for data center construction.

Details of the recall and broader data center opposition were first reported by NBC News.