{"id":271464,"date":"2026-08-24T21:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/271464\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T21:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:12:08","slug":"data-centers-are-redefining-midterm-races-across-pennsylvania-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/271464\/","title":{"rendered":"Data centers are \u2018redefining\u2019 midterm races across Pennsylvania"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free <\/a>newsletters<\/a>. <\/p>\n

HARRISBURG \u2014 Up and down the ballot, Pennsylvania politicians preparing for the November election are making data center criticism central to their campaigns.<\/p>\n

There are more than 120 proposed data centers across the commonwealth \u2014 among the most in the country, according to Pew Research <\/a>Center<\/a>. That rapid, ambitious development has led to overwhelming backlash from many of the communities where these projects are planned.<\/p>\n

In the state\u2019s marquee midterm race, for governor, incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro made a conspicuous about-face on the issue this week.<\/p>\n

Shapiro, who once led a push to fast-track data center permits and last year crowed about a $20 billion Amazon project, has signed an executive order mandating developers obtain local approval before the Department of Environmental Protection reviews data centers\u2019 permit applications. The state will slow-walk any projects that do not agree to a host of binding energy, environment, and transparency standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing today is taking concrete action to listen to the voices of the people, to put local leaders back in charge of their communities, and to make very, very clear what the rules of the road are to be able to do business here in Pennsylvania,\u201d Shapiro said at a Tuesday ceremony in Harrisburg where he signed the order.<\/p>\n

Shapiro\u2019s opponent, GOP state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, has gone a step further and called for a temporary moratorium on all data center development and heavily criticized Shapiro for his past support of the industry. (Garrity, too, was initially enthusiastic<\/a> about such development.)<\/p>\n

The gubernatorial candidates aren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

Control of both the state House and Senate is on the ballot this November, and a Spotlight PA analysis of campaign materials in potentially competitive districts found data centers featured in at least 20 races \u2014 either in digital ads, physical mail, or on candidate websites and social media pages.<\/p>\n

Some candidates totally oppose data center development, while many others have simply listed their desire to institute guardrails as an issue on their websites. Others have hosted data center-focused listening sessions and roundtables with potential supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe I\u2019ve seen an issue have such a meteoric rise in saliency as this issue,\u201d said Chris Borick, a political scientist at Lehigh University and longtime state pollster. \u201cIt\u2019s been an issue that is redefining politics and campaigns in the state and country.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that the rhetoric surrounding data centers combines a host of issues important to voters: what is taking up space in their communities, where and how they can access important information, who benefits from that information, and how AI could shape future employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou put that mix together,\u201d Borick said, \u201cthat\u2019s a pretty potent cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most campaigns are also framing the issue in a broader context of how these data centers could spark higher utility prices, and whether the candidate cares more about big tech companies or the will of their constituents.<\/p>\n

Often, both major parties paint their respective opponent as cozy with data center developers \u2014 whether or not the evidence for that is strong.<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee claims in an ad <\/a>with ominous music and a menacing voiceover that Democrat Chris Thomas is \u201cbankrolled\u201d by \u201cdata center insiders.\u201d It cites Thomas\u2019 candidate disclosure forms, which show the former construction worker was paid for consultant work by the civil engineering firm Gilmore & Associates.<\/p>\n

The firm consulted<\/a> for one of Amazon\u2019s proposals in Bucks County, but the disclosure forms do not explain what work Thomas did for Gilmore. Thomas denied <\/a>taking money from or having worked for a data center developer in a social media video. His campaign manager Patrick Ahern told Spotlight PA in a statement that Thomas did \u201ctemporary\u201d marketing and municipal-level advising work for the firm years after it had consulted on the project.<\/p>\n

Thomas is challenging incumbent state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Montgomery County, a key target for Democrats looking to win a majority in the chamber for the first time in decades. A progressive-aligned group claims in its own ad<\/a> that Pennycuick \u201cstood with special interests driving up our costs\u201d by backing legislation to expedite permitting<\/a> for data center proposals.<\/p>\n

The issue has particular salience in districts where there are active or proposed data center projects.<\/p>\n

Perhaps no race better exemplifies the statewide focus on data centers than the 40th Senate District, which surrounds much of suburban Scranton. There are dozens of data centers proposed within its borders \u2014 most are concentrated across six campuses in <\/a>Archbald<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Opposing data centers is the main focus of Democrat Brian Wrightson\u2019s campaign to oust incumbent Republican state Sen. Rosemary Brown.<\/p>\n

Wrightson, who owns a technology infrastructure company and is a former director of emergency services for the Red Cross, told Spotlight PA that he wants the state to ban all data center developments. He is not convinced there\u2019s enough economic demand to support the rapid pace of development. A moratorium, he said, would be only a beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t justify it,\u201d he said, saying \u201cwe don\u2019t know\u201d what would happen if a tech-filled data center had a fire. \u201cI also look at my emergency management side of it, and these little towns are not prepared for the massive growth that we would see.\u201d<\/p>\n

His message is resonating among voters he speaks with, Wrightson said, citing their concerns for their local environments, quality of life, and utility prices.<\/p>\n

Brown has also jumped onto data center regulation.<\/p>\n

In February, she announced a plan to introduce a package of bills to require developers to undergo a third-party evaluation of their water use <\/a>plan<\/a>, order the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study<\/a> of the facilities, and prohibit the rezoning<\/a> of residential properties to allow data centers. She had not introduced those bills as of Aug. 20.<\/p>\n

Brown also said in a campaign video that she supported a moratorium<\/a> \u201cuntil we can make sure our voices and our communities are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wrightson was quick to point out that Brown\u2019s campaign received a $5,000 contribution from data center developer James Marzolino, president of Kriger Construction Inc. Marzolino has donated to a host of other elected officials across partisan <\/a>lines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s campaign is also trying to tie Wrightson to \u201cspecial interests,\u201d referencing contributions he has received from groups that have generally been supportive of data center development. These include trade unions, as well as two $500 contributions from individuals at companies that may advise data center developers.<\/p>\n

Archbald is so well-known for its number of data center proposals that Shapiro mentioned his visit to a baseball field<\/a> in the borough earlier this year as another factor in his decision to sign his executive order.<\/p>\n

\u201cI walked the left field line of Ed Staback Park,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cThat left field line, where parents should gather to watch their kids play Little League \u2014 instead that\u2019s where the corner of one of those data centers was to be built.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with listening to vocal constituents, Shapiro and other politicians are likely responding to a spate of recent polling on data centers.<\/p>\n

A Quinnipiac University Poll last month<\/a> found nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania voters would oppose an AI data center being built in their local community.<\/p>\n

Despite Shapiro\u2019s generally high favorability, that same Quinnipiac poll found only 24% of Pennsylvania voters approve of the governor\u2019s handling of data centers, while 34% disapprove.<\/p>\n

His early embrace of the potential economic upswing from the private investment that data centers offered left him open to criticism after public sentiment shifted against the projects, according to Borick.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is very disciplined in how he approaches politics, not prone to mistakes,\u201d Borick said. \u201cOn this issue, even someone of his talents has struggled to calibrate his positions and policies on the matter \u2014 and that\u2019s exposed him in some ways in a political cycle that he\u2019s, you know, otherwise strongly positioned in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking at a ceremony where he signed the executive order, Shapiro used his harshest language yet to describe data center developers, calling some \u201cpredatory\u201d and \u201cgreedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he signed the order, Garrity said Shapiro has been the \u201cbiggest data center cheerleader in the nation\u201d for the past 13 months and accused him of flipping his position in the wake of public pushback.<\/p>\n

Garrity, who supports a less than three-year pause on data center developments, also echoed an ad her campaign ran against Shapiro that highlighted his administration\u2019s work to fast-track permits<\/a> for an Amazon data center planned in Luzerne and Bucks Counties. The ad claimed Shapiro did so because his campaign received contributions from data center developers.<\/p>\n

(A spokesperson for Garrity\u2019s campaign provided the names of donors fueling the accusation. Each is a frequent political donor with many interests before public officials \u2014 not just data center development.)<\/p>\n

Shapiro acknowledged during an event where he signed the order that his decision stemmed directly from public input.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe feedback I\u2019ve gotten from people in their communities, well, that has really shaped my perspective on this matter,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cAnd while curtailing the speed of projects is important, ending the secrecy is important as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Borick stressed that he does not want to undersell the potential impact of data centers on outcomes in closely contested races. But he questions whether public opposition to data centers will drive voters to the polls in November and how much influence the issue could have on someone\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor those less directly affected by data center projects, the issue may not be a top-tier driver of either their choice of candidates or their decision to show up,\u201d Borick said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to note that in tightly contested races \u2026 the data center issue is likely to be very impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spotlight PA\u2019s Kate Huangpu contributed reporting. <\/p>\n

BEFORE YOU GO \u2026 If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org\/donate. This story was funded in part thanks to the support of the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. Learn more about how we are supported here. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-271464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}