Texas state representative Paxton unveiled a data center plan alongside other GOP candidates advocating for stricter siting restrictions.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) unveiled a plan Monday to place restrictions on data centers if elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the latest Republican candidate to adopt a firmer stance against the controversial AI infrastructure.
Paxton laid out a four-point strategy, vowing to “fiercely advocate” for Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) state-level data center framework while sponsoring or backing complementary federal legislation. His proposals include measures to bar the use of Chinese technology to power data centers and to hold developers criminally liable if their infrastructure “empowers AI chatbots that undermine children’s safety.” Paxton also said he would co-sponsor the Decentralized Access to Technology Alternatives Act, a bill from Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), which would exempt new, off-grid electricity providers from certain federal regulations to prevent data centers from driving up consumer electricity costs.
“My Texas First Data Center Plan will protect our grid, our communities, and our children while ensuring America beats Communist China in the AI race,” Paxton wrote in a post on the social platform X. “Texas First. Always.” He is currently facing Democratic nominee James Talarico in a tight race for the Texas Senate seat, which the Cook Political Report recently classified as a “toss-up.”
Data centers have increasingly become a central issue in the midterm elections, as growing public wariness over the rapid construction of sprawling server warehouses to support AI development has prompted several Republican candidates to stake out positions against the sector—even as President Trump continues to embrace the build-out. In Michigan, former Representative Mike Rogers, the GOP’s Senate nominee, announced last week that he is calling for a one-year moratorium on new data center construction. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, Republican Stacy Garrity is calling for a “pause” on data center development and has taken aim at incumbent Governor Josh Shapiro (D) over his prior support for such projects.
These moves follow similar actions by Governor Abbott, who announced a series of new restrictions on data centers in June. He directed the state’s utility and its regulator to take steps to limit economic impacts on residents, pledged to work with the Texas Legislature to mandate water-efficient technologies, and promised to repeal data center incentives. Earlier this month, the Texas governor also placed a moratorium on new data center approvals pending a state audit.