The nationwide backlash to data centers has become so widespread that it’s even hard to find Republican politicians who openly embrace them—with the exception of President Trump, of course. So why is the Democratic nominee for governor in Wisconsin touting their benefits? It’s a question many puzzled Democrats are asking, given that the governor’s mansion is a crucial bulwark against the state’s Republican-controlled legislature.
Painting Crowley as pro–data center is a no-brainer for Tiffany, given voter sentiment on the issue. Polling suggests that voters are increasingly negative about data centers. In October, 55 percent of those asked in a Marquette Law School Poll survey of Wisconsin registered voters said that the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits. But in a poll from July, that number jumped to 76 percent. No wonder even the most pro-business Republicans, like Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, have come out in favor of strict regulations on data centers.
Ultimately, the two candidates have similar policy views on data centers, as a piece in Vox laid out last week. Neither one has called for a moratorium on building them, as Hong did. Tiffany has called for rolling back a state subsidy on data centers, which Crowley hasn’t matched, but otherwise the candidates are aligned on the issue, calling for local control over construction and environmental standards to protect natural resources.
But the race seems to be tight: The latest polls, from mid-August, show Crowley up by three or four percentage points with over two months to go until Election Day. Crucially, the governor’s race could also affect downballot races for the state Senate and Assembly, which have been in Republican control since 2011. During that time, Republicans gerrymandered the state to their advantage. Now Democrats have the best chance they’ve had in years to take back the legislature and try to undo some of the damage the GOP has done, like a 2011 law abolishing collective bargaining for public workers. “If we don’t nominate someone who can win statewide and bring legislative majorities with them, so much of the work of the last eight to ten years is for naught, and so the stakes are enormous,” Zepecki said.
In response to Tiffany’s attacks, Crowley is reminding voters that Tiffany hasn’t introduced legislation restricting data centers during his time in Congress. Meanwhile, Tiffany has said that Crowley takes money from data center proponents, which is likely a reference to donations from union interests. Some unions are in favor of data centers since their members would build the infrastructure, but Zepecki cautioned against characterizing all Wisconsin labor interests as pro–data center.
—Emma Janssen
Outside Washington
“We’re always in survival mode in Gary,” hairstylist Shatiya Hardin told the Associated Press. “And I think that’s probably why it wasn’t so much of an uproar because the first few days, it was like, ‘OK, we’re used to this.... but this is the second week now. It’s not OK for us to continually be in survival mode, doing the best that we can.”
—Alex Shephard
Over at the Institute for Policy Studies, associate fellow Christine Ahn argues in favor of Trump’s order for the U.S. to “substantially reduce” its military drills with South Korea. “While any diplomatic overture from this administration should be viewed with skepticism,” she writes, “progressives shouldn’t miss an opportunity to take a principled position that advances peace, a reduced U.S. military footprint, and the security of the American and Korean people.” Ahn says that instead of “parroting the political establishment that benefits from forever wars, progressives should challenge … the belief that military superiority produces security, that militaristic ‘deterrence’ is stabilizing, and that allies exist for the U.S. to position them. This is not producing peace.”
In Closing: Four Questions For
Debru Carthan, executive vice president of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West
A: I’m the vice president of SEIU-UHW, a union representing more than 120,000 health care workers across California. But before anything else, I’m a health care worker. Right now, I’m helping to lead our work on Prop 40. For me, this ballot campaign [to implement a one-time billionaire tax] is about protecting patients … and the fact that this health care crisis was started by the Trump administration giving more tax breaks to billionaires.
Q: What is the most difficult thing about your line of work?
A: The hardest part is knowing that the decisions we make affect real people. Leadership requires you to listen to different perspectives, make difficult decisions, and sometimes move forward even when everyone doesn’t agree. You must be willing to sit in uncomfortable conversations and still keep people focused on what we are trying to accomplish together.A: My biggest success has been stepping into the role of vice president of SEIU-UHW and having our members put their trust in me to help lead this union. But I don’t measure success by my title. I measure it by what I’m able to do with the opportunity. I spent years as a rank-and-file leader, serving on our executive committee, bargaining contracts, developing leaders, and fighting alongside health care workers. Now I have the opportunity to take everything I learned in those roles and use it to help develop the next generation of leaders.
Q: What keeps you going in these stressful times?
A: When the work gets difficult, I think about the health care workers who get up every day and take care of our communities. I think about the patients depending on us. I think about my children and the generations coming behind us. We have an opportunity to protect health care in California, to make sure that billionaires pay their fair share in taxes, and to show working people what is possible when we recognize our power and use it together.Interview by Monica PottsDemocratic candidates are pretty well positioned to win governor’s races in both Ohio and Georgia, two states that haven’t had a Democratic governor in a while. Who were the last Democratic governors of those two states? (Sign up for The TNR Blue Book to find the answer in Wednesday’s newsletter.)
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