The rapid expansion of data centers has become one of Maine’s volatile campaign issues, as rural voters push back against resource strain and rising utility costs while tech and data center interests spend millions on the race. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson are campaigning amid a September poll in which 76 percent of respondents said they oppose building a data center in their community, in a contest that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
In April, Maine’s legislature passed what would have been the nation’s first statewide moratorium on large data centers, only to have it vetoed by Governor Janet Mills 10 days later. Since then, towns across the state have adopted temporary moratoriums or put the question to voters in November. At a recent debate, an audience member shouted at Collins, “I'm terrified. AI data centers are destroying our climate. They are poisoning our water.”
Data center developers have promised long-term jobs, but economists say those jobs rarely materialize. Mark Brewer, a political scientist at the University of Maine, noted that unlike the paper mills that once employed thousands, "data centers aren't doing that." Nicholas Jacobs of Colby College said many rural Mainers view the facilities as part of a cycle of extraction: "Rural wealth exists, but it is extracted out of the community."
Collins has largely supported data center expansion, saying the facilities should be evaluated individually. She has used her position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure $6.2 million for a high-performance computing hub in central Maine. Her campaign has received more than $325,000 from AI and crypto donors, according to researcher Molly White’s donation tracker, and a super PAC with personal ties to Collins and her husband put $29.1 million into the race to support her. Forbes estimated that $300,000 to $800,000 in AI- and data center-linked investments were held in her husband’s name.
Jackson, a former logger, has focused on putting guardrails in place and said he wants to ensure union jobs for data center buildout and maintenance. He has no reported financial ties to data centers, AI or Big Tech interests. His FEC paperwork shows at least four billionaire donors.
The outside money has funded an onslaught of negative advertisements that Brewer called the most he has seen in 25 years of watching Maine politics. By mid-October, $54 million had been spent on attack ads, nearly all from outside super PACs. The race is already the most expensive Senate contest per capita in U.S. history, with Democrats spending an estimated $81 million and Republicans $114 million.
The outcome will help shape federal policy on data centers and artificial intelligence. Each candidate offers a distinct vision for how to manage the industry's growth, with Collins emphasizing individual evaluation and Jackson pushing for stronger labor safeguards and oversight.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The race could tip the balance of the Senate and determine which party controls it.
- It is the most expensive Senate race per capita ever, making it a test of whether massive outside spending can overcome grassroots resistance on a local issue.
- The fight over data centers in Maine mirrors a national debate about the costs and benefits of AI infrastructure, and the outcome may signal how other communities will respond.
Background
Maine's Senate race is being fought against a backdrop of economic change. For decades, the state's rural economy relied on paper mills and lumber, but many of those mills have closed under pressure from tariffs and rising costs. Tech companies view Maine as an attractive site for data centers thanks to cheap land and abundant water, but residents harbor deep skepticism of "extractive" industries that take resources without leaving lasting jobs. A statewide moratorium on large data centers narrowly failed after the governor's veto, but local bans have proliferated.
Key Perspectives
Susan Collins: The Republican incumbent has largely backed data centers and AI, supporting individual evaluation rather than a blanket ban. She has accepted millions in campaign donations from tech billionaires and holds family investments in the industry.
Troy Jackson: The Democratic challenger, a former logger, wants data center projects to require union labor and stronger safeguards. He has no reported financial ties to data centers or Big Tech.
Maine voters (per polls and comments): 76% oppose a data center in their community, driven by fears of rising utility bills, water pollution, and distrust of large outside developers. As one man put it at a debate, the facilities are "destroying our climate" and "poisoning our water."
What to Watch
- The volume of negative ads could backfire, driving independent voters away from Collins or depressing turnout.
- Collins's link to Elon Musk and other controversial billionaires may become a liability in a state that values independence.
- Local ballots on data center moratoriums will offer a direct gauge of grassroots sentiment.
- The final spending totals, which could set a record for the most expensive Senate race per capita.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
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- SupportedRural voters are pushing back against data center expansion in a high-stakes Senate race.The Verge: “As tech billionaires pour record millions into Maine’s high-stakes Senate race, rural voters push back against the resource strain, rising utility costs, and phantom jobs of the AI data center boom.”
- SupportedTech millions are flowing into the race as rural communities push back on data center expansion.The Verge: “As tech billionaires pour record millions into Maine’s high-stakes Senate race, rural voters push back against the resource strain, rising utility costs, and phantom jobs of the AI data center boom.”
- SupportedIn a September poll, 76 percent of respondents opposed building a data center in their community.The Verge: “In a September poll of Mainers by UMass Lowell and YouGov, 76 percent of respondents said they oppose building a data center in their community, with 58 percent strongly opposed.”
- SupportedAt a debate, an audience member shouted, “I'm terrified. AI data centers are destroying our climate. They are poisoning our water.”The Verge: ““I’m terrified,” a man shouted. “AI data centers are destroying our climate. They are poisoning our water.””
- SupportedMaine’s legislature passed what would have been the nation’s first statewide moratorium on large data centers, but Governor Janet Mills vetoed it 10 days later.The Verge: “the state Legislature passed what would have been the nation’s first statewide moratorium on large data centers — had Gov. Janet Mills not vetoed the bill 10 days later.”
- SupportedData center developers have promised long-term jobs, but economists say those jobs rarely materialize.The Verge: “Data center developers and their political allies often sell rural Maine communities on long-term job creation — a promise economists say rarely materializes.”
- SupportedMark Brewer said, “data centers aren't doing that,” comparing their jobs with paper mills employing thousands.The Verge: ““It’s one thing to put up with a paper mill that’s employing three shifts of 1,000 workers, right? Data centers aren’t doing that.””
- SupportedNicholas Jacobs said, “Rural wealth exists, but it is extracted out of the community.”The Verge: ““Rural wealth exists, but it is extracted out of the community, and that’s the game of rural living,” Jacobs says.”
- SupportedA super PAC with personal ties to Collins and her husband put $29.1 million into the race to support her.The Verge: “Pine Tree Results PAC, to which Collins and her husband have personal ties, put $29.1 million into the race to support her.”
- Partly supportedBrewer called the volume of negative advertisements the most he had seen in 25 years of watching Maine politics.The Verge: “The sheer volume has pushed voters past their breaking point, Brewer says, calling the contest “the most negative race” he has tracked in 25 years of observing Maine politics.”
- Partly supportedBy mid-October, $54 million had been spent on attack ads, nearly all from outside super PACs.The Verge: “as of mid-October, $54 million has been spent or committed for negative attack ads, and nearly all of it is coming from outside PACs financed by Big Tech and data center supporters”
- Partly supportedThe race is already the most expensive Senate contest per capita in U.S. history, with Democrats spending an estimated $81 million and Republicans $114 million.The Verge: “Maine’s hotly contested Senate race is set to be the most expensive Senate race per capita that the US has ever seen, with Democrats spending a projected $81 million and Republicans $114 million.”