A super PAC aligned with the data center industry has made its first bet of the cycle: Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina, a Republican fighting an unexpectedly tight re-election race. The New York Times reported the move on October 26, as political fights over artificial intelligence and data center construction sharpen across the country.
Graham faces Democratic challenger Annie Andrews. Recent polls put the race within a few points, a narrow margin in a state Republicans usually win comfortably.
Data centers have become one of the sharpest dividing lines in the contest. Graham has promoted data center development as a matter of national security, arguing that restrictions would let China pull ahead, and she has called for local communities to have a say in where projects go. Andrews has proposed a two-year moratorium on new data centers and has branded her opponent over the industry support she received.
The backing underlines how central the industry has become to the campaign. Graham co-sponsored a Senate bill earlier this year that would have encouraged utilities to make data centers pay for the power they use, though that bill failed to pass.
Source: The New York Times
