Data center companies are spending $1.5 million to help Republican Senator Darline Graham win in South Carolina. The AI industry has entered election funding as public concern grows over new server sites. Her Democratic rival, Dr. Annie Andrews, wants a two-year freeze on such projects.
Graham got her Senate seat after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. She had no prior career in elected office, and a tense GOP primary left some party voters unsure about her. Polls have since shown a close contest.
Andrews has made the tech sites a main issue in her campaign. She even gave Graham a nickname tied to her support for them. The senator, though, argues that the United States must keep building AI systems to compete with China.
Still, Graham says nearby towns should get a say in where these sites go. Her team says she trusts South Carolina residents to make local choices, while she rejects a broad ban on new construction.
The money comes from Building the Future, a new super PAC set up to support candidates who favor data center growth. Its ads focus on Graham's past work at a state agency for blind people. Neither ad brings up the tech sites.
Fundraising has been hard for Graham compared with Andrews. The new group has become her second-largest source of supportive ads, based on figures from AdImpact. Its donors have yet to be made public.
Behind this effort are people linked to Leading the Future, another political group that has spent tens of millions backing AI-friendly candidates. The newer project has a narrower goal. It wants to help politicians who openly favor building data centers.
The GOP's Senate campaign team has also warned that public anger at data centers may hurt candidates. Jon Husted in Ohio was named as one politician facing that risk.
A related nonprofit, Build American AI, has put about $7 million into a campaign to improve the industry's image. Ohio, Kansas, and Wisconsin are among its main targets.
Other groups have joined the effort. American Edge Project, funded by Meta, and Infrastructure for America, backed by four developers, have each paid for ads in support of the sector.
Voters are split, even within the same party. Glenda Brady, 68, from Spartanburg County, backs the new facilities and sees them as vital to keeping pace with China. A large site is already going up near her community.
Pamela Miller, 55, has a very different take. Despite being a firm Republican, she plans to back Andrews because she opposes Graham's stance on the tech industry. For Miller, party loyalty does not settle this issue.
Even President Trump has weighed in. At a rally near a new server site, he suggested that cash payments to residents could make the projects more popular. The crowd gave little response to that idea.
Graham got her Senate seat after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. She had no prior career in elected office, and a tense GOP primary left some party voters unsure about her. Polls have since shown a close contest.
Andrews has made the tech sites a main issue in her campaign. She even gave Graham a nickname tied to her support for them. The senator, though, argues that the United States must keep building AI systems to compete with China.
Still, Graham says nearby towns should get a say in where these sites go. Her team says she trusts South Carolina residents to make local choices, while she rejects a broad ban on new construction.
The money comes from Building the Future, a new super PAC set up to support candidates who favor data center growth. Its ads focus on Graham's past work at a state agency for blind people. Neither ad brings up the tech sites.
Fundraising has been hard for Graham compared with Andrews. The new group has become her second-largest source of supportive ads, based on figures from AdImpact. Its donors have yet to be made public.
Behind this effort are people linked to Leading the Future, another political group that has spent tens of millions backing AI-friendly candidates. The newer project has a narrower goal. It wants to help politicians who openly favor building data centers.
The GOP's Senate campaign team has also warned that public anger at data centers may hurt candidates. Jon Husted in Ohio was named as one politician facing that risk.
A related nonprofit, Build American AI, has put about $7 million into a campaign to improve the industry's image. Ohio, Kansas, and Wisconsin are among its main targets.
Other groups have joined the effort. American Edge Project, funded by Meta, and Infrastructure for America, backed by four developers, have each paid for ads in support of the sector.
Voters are split, even within the same party. Glenda Brady, 68, from Spartanburg County, backs the new facilities and sees them as vital to keeping pace with China. A large site is already going up near her community.
Pamela Miller, 55, has a very different take. Despite being a firm Republican, she plans to back Andrews because she opposes Graham's stance on the tech industry. For Miller, party loyalty does not settle this issue.
Even President Trump has weighed in. At a rally near a new server site, he suggested that cash payments to residents could make the projects more popular. The crowd gave little response to that idea.
