What political risks arise when candidates are tied to unpopular data centers?

An eight-page cease-and-desist letter, demanding both a retraction and an apology, was issued last week by a political campaign contesting a state senate race. The document targets an attack advertisement that has drawn national attention due to its specific focus on data center infrastructure.

The "Data Senator" Label Controversy

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the ad in question labels Republican State Senator Frank Farry as a “data senator.” This phrase attempts to connect Farry to an Amazon data center through a client of his law firm. The campaign behind the letter describes the advertisement as “defamatory” and “demonstrably false.”

Farry addressed allegations of a conflict of interest with a statement featuring an all-caps section: “I didn’t raise a conflict on the House floor in 2021 BECAUSE I DO NOT REPRESENT DATA CENTERS.” The dispute arose from the campaign of Democrat Eileen Hartnett Albillar, which produced the contested ad.

Political Risks of Streisand Effect

Strategic considerations for political campaigns now include weighing the value of legal threats against the risk of triggering the Streisand Effect. This phenomenon occurs when an attempt to suppress information inadvertently amplifies it, turning an attack ad into a broader news story. Regardless of the ad's factual accuracy, the cease-and-desist letter serves as a significant artifact of current political tactics.

Tying opponents to data centers appears to be a calculated risk taken across various races this season. In the Georgia Governor’s race, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that Democratic candidate Keisha Lance-Bottoms demanded Republican Rick Jackson divest all holdings related to data centers. This demand comes despite Lance-Bottoms’ tenure as mayor of Atlanta, during which she approved a tax break currently linked to a data center-affiliated company.

National Opposition to Infrastructure

These political maneuvers reflect widespread public sentiment regarding data center construction. In Virginia, once proud of its status as America’s data center corridor, these facilities have become as unpopular as nuclear power plants. Nationwide statistics indicate that seven in ten Americans oppose building data centers in their local areas.

While data centers do not yet constitute a fully partisan issue, they represent a clear political liability. Candidates generally seek to avoid associations with the industry, making the label “data senator” particularly damaging in electoral contexts.