Rural voters push back on data centers in high-stakes Senate race
Tech millions flood race as rural communities push back on data center expansion
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.