NEW YORK TIMES: DATA CENTER INDUSTRY PUSHES FOR DARLINE GRAHAM IN SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE

Theodore Schleifer and Emily Davies, The New York Times

In a preview of political fights to come over artificial intelligence, the data center industry is starting to spend money on elections for the first time.

The industry faces growing resistance. Data centers have become a symbol of voters’ anxiety over the rapid development of A.I., and polling shows that wide numbers of Americans are uncomfortable with their construction.

Now, the industry is pushing to assert its power. Its first goal: electing Senator Darline Graham, a Republican, to a full term in South Carolina, where she is in an unexpectedly tight race against Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democrat.

This month, a new super PAC aligned with the data center industry has reserved $1.5 million worth of advertising to help Ms. Graham. The spending is most likely the tip of the iceberg for the super PAC, Building the Future, which is aiming to exert more influence in the 2028 election cycle and beyond. […]

Dr. Andrews has fiercely opposed data center developments. She has called for a two-year moratorium on new projects and nicknamed Ms. Graham “Data Center Darline.”

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