{"id":275678,"date":"2026-08-31T09:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/275678\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:58:28","slug":"shapiros-data-center-rules-impact-battleground-congressional-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/275678\/","title":{"rendered":"Shapiro\u2019s data center rules impact battleground Congressional races"},"content":{"rendered":"

(The Center Square) \u2013 Races up and down the ballot around the country for the 2026 midterm elections have something in common: the issue of data center development is taking center stage.<\/p>\n

On Aug. 18,\u00a0Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order\u00a0he said put the \u201cstrictest guardrails in the nation\u201d on the industry, arguing that Pennsylvania has become filled with data center speculators.<\/p>\n

While Shapiro and his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, have taken aim at one another for their evolving views on data center development, congressional candidates in battleground districts are also weighing in on the latest executive order.<\/p>\n

The responses to Shapiro\u2019s executive order in four key races, which could determine the majority of the U.S. House in 2027, largely fell along party lines.<\/p>\n

\"Pa.Pa. Congressman Rob Bresnahan speaks during a press conference at the Mary Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (JASON ARDAN \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been clear on this issue from the beginning,\u201d U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., said to The Center Square. \u201cLocals know what\u2019s best for their communities, and decisions like these should be put in their hands. I\u2019m glad to see Governor Shapiro now agrees with my stance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, a Democrat, is challenging Bresnahan for the seat in Northeast Pennsylvania. While she agrees that local communities should be responsible for making decisions about data centers, she celebrated Shapiro\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

\"ScrantonScranton Mayor Paige Cognetti speaks with an attendee after the opening reception for the \u201c67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania\u201d photo exhibit at the Waverly Community House in Waverly, Pa., on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (ISAAC DIAZ\/STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n

\u201cNEPA has a long history of being taken advantage of by greedy corporations. I\u2019ve been clear: we can\u2019t let data center developers be the latest corporate interest using our community to line their pockets, only to leave us holding the bag,\u201d Cognetti\u2019s campaign said in a statement to The Center Square. \u201cI have not seen any projects in NEPA that should move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need leaders at every level standing up and letting everyone know we are not for sale. I support this order from the Governor blocking irresponsible data center development and putting power back in the hands of communities across our Commonwealth,\u201d she added. \u201cNo higher utility costs, no risk to our air and water, no hiding behind NDAs, no tax breaks, and most importantly, local communities get to decide if and how data centers get built.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just south of Pennsylvania\u2019s 8th Congressional District is another closely watched contest between Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, a firefighters\u2019 union leader, for the 7th District.<\/p>\n

One day after Shapiro signed the data center executive order, both candidates were asked by\u00a0NBC10\u00a0to respond.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-7th District, speaks Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Lehigh County Republican headquarters in Allentown. Mackenzie is running against Democratic candidate Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a former Bethlehem firefighter, in what is expected to be one of the closest congressional races of 2026, and one of a handful that will determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year. (April Gamiz\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe governor is the one that put in fast-track permitting for data centers, so he is the one that was leading the charge on pushing these data centers on all of our local communities,\u201d Mackenzie said. \u201cThere have been those, like myself, who have said we need to pause, we need to figure out how they\u2019re going to pay for the electricity that they put on the grid, the noise pollution in our local communities: make sure that local zoning is authorized and approved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, thankfully, the governor is actually catching up to all of us across Pennsylvania who have been saying that there need to be these precautionary measures and the guardrails in place,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut that is a big change, a sea change, from where he was just a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BobBob Brooks stands for a photo after he discusses his campaign Thursday, July 30, 2026, and the competitive election during an interview at the United Steel Workers of America hall in Bethlehem. Brooks, a Democrat and former Bethlehem firefighter, is challenging Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie to represent the Lehigh Valley\u2019s 7th District. (Monica Cabrera\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

When responding to a question from NBC10 about the executive order, Brooks said that he trusts the governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really, quite honestly, haven\u2019t really dug into the executive order yet,\u201d he said. \u201cI trust the governor. He\u2019s done really good things for Pennsylvania, and if he sees this as a good move, I trust in the decisions that he makes.\u201d<\/p>\n

If elected, Brooks mentioned that he sees the issue of data centers as being \u201cmore of a local issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they got to start with ordinances. So, I mean, I will support the local elected officials around here, if they start to make moves\u2026but I think the move that the governor made today essentially gives the local municipality the power, and he will support that,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cSo, I think that\u2019s really where we need to be right now until we can all figure this out. But I do like being proactive, not reactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added on social media Aug. 18 that \u201cwe must pass national legislation that makes these protections federal law and in Congress that is what I\u2019ll fight for.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican representing the state\u2019s 10th Congressional District, is seeking an eighth term this fall against Democrat Janelle Stelson, a former central Pennsylvania television news anchor.<\/p>\n

Perry, the former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, took a more direct jab at Shapiro in response to the governor\u2019s executive order.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo months ago, Josh Shapiro was handing out tax credits like candy to the wealthiest corporations to bring data centers to every community in PA,\u201d Perry\u2019s campaign told The Center Square. \u201cNow, he\u2019s completely changed his position because it\u2019s politically expedient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe (is) a craven flip-flopper who can\u2019t be trusted and cares about nothing except his endless crusade to become president,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe only thing Shapiro cares about is Shapiro.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"U.S.U.S. Rep. Scott Perry will again be challenged by former TV personality Janelle Stelson. (Sean Simmers ssimmers- pennlive.com\/TNS)<\/p>\n

Stelson, who narrowly lost to Perry in 2024, credited Shapiro over the move from his administration, while criticizing the GOP incumbent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent Data Center executive order is a positive step, particularly in contrast to the actions of politicians like Congressman Scott Perry who voted to give data center companies a massive tax break and who said that Pennsylvania \u2018can\u2019t afford to slow down\u2019 on building more data centers,\u201d Stelson\u2019s campaign told The Center Square.<\/p>\n

Stelson\u2019s dig at Perry is in\u00a0reference to previous comments made by the GOP congressman\u00a0in December, when he said that the United States is \u201cin a race for AI with China.\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing those three races have in common, according to the\u00a0Cook Political Report, is that they are all \u201ctoss-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer television personality Janelle Stelson has again won the Democratic nomination in the Pa.\u2019s 10th District. (Campaign photo)<\/p>\n

The race for Pennsylvania\u2019s 1st Congressional District, situated in the suburbs north of Philadelphia, is between GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democrat.<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the bipartisan\u00a0Problem Solvers Caucus, was the lone Republican who responded to The Center Square who didn\u2019t take a jab at Shapiro in his response.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongressman Fitzpatrick supports Governor Shapiro\u2019s Executive Order,\u201d his office told The Center Square. \u201cThe needs of our residents and our local community must always come first \u2014 and our residents must always be an integral part of any governmental decision-making that impacts their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"U.S.U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Ting Shen\/Getty Images North America\/TNS)<\/p>\n

Harvie, like the other Democrats running in battleground races, touted Shapiro\u2019s decision, while also accusing Fitzpatrick of not doing enough on the matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunities across Bucks and Montco are worried about irresponsible data centers that raise energy costs, suck up our water supply and take advantage of us to turn a profit,\u201d Harvie\u2019s campaign told The Center Square. \u201cWhile this happens, Brian Fitzpatrick is doing nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Congress I will fight for federal data center regulations and I\u2019m grateful that Governor Shapiro is taking a strong stand here in Pennsylvania,\u201d he added. \u201cData Centers cannot be allowed to raise our costs, and our communities must have the right to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a newsletter sent out by Fitzpatrick\u2019s office on Aug. 21, the Bucks County Republican said that he\u2019ll be signing on to the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act,\u00a0H.R. 6984, which he argues would \u201crequire greater disclosure of data centers\u2019 energy consumption, water use, environmental impacts, and effects on local utility systems and household costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BucksBucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie is the Democratic nominee facing U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., in November. (Jessica Griffin\/The Philadelphia Inquirer\/TNS)<\/p>\n

The four Democrats in these battleground congressional races are supporting Shapiro\u2019s bid for a second term. The governor is also supporting their respective campaigns for office.<\/p>\n

As of Aug. 27, Bresnahan, Mackenzie and Perry have endorsed Garrity\u2019s bid for governor. However, despite praising her leadership in 2025 for \u201cstrengthening the financial foundation of our communities,\u201d Fitzpatrick has not formally issued an endorsement in the 2026 race for governor.<\/p>\n

While there isn\u2019t public polling breaking down data center approval ratings in each congressional district, a pair of polls released last week show that they are not popular in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Sixty-two percent in Pennsylvania, according to a New York Times\/Philadelphia Inquirer\/Siena poll, said that they either strongly or somewhat opposed the construction of data centers, while 33% said they support it. A Franklin & Marshall College poll showed that four in five, 79%, oppose having a data center built in their community.<\/p>\n

The issue of data centers has also garnered the attention of a few elected officials not in reliably red and blue regions of the state.<\/p>\n

They also seemingly fell along party lines in their response to Shapiro\u2019s executive order.<\/p>\n

\u201cJosh Shapiro\u2019s favorite shoes must be flip-flops because over the last year he has been touting billions of dollars in data center deals, only to do an about-face with this executive order,\u201d U.S. Rep. Glenn \u2018GT\u2019 Thompson, R-Centre, said to The Center Square.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia, said he applauded Shapiro \u201cfor taking strong action to protect Pennsylvanians!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would probably prefer to pass legislation to have longer-term protections in place, but inaction from the Republicans who have controlled the state Senate for 33 years prevented that,\u201d Evans told The Center Square.<\/p>\n

\"Pa.Pa. Gov Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday
\ndirecting commonwealth agencies to require all data center proposals applying for
\npermits to comply with the Governor\u2019s Responsible
\nInfrastructure Development (GRID) Requirements, blocking speculative,
\nirresponsible data center projects from moving forward, giving local communities more
\npower over data center development. (COURTESY OF COMMONWEALTH MEDIA SERVICES)<\/p>\n

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