During last weekend’s biennial Texas Democratic Party convention, delegates approved a platform calling for a pause on new data centers until stronger state regulations are in place.
The data center plank of their platform emerged as one of the state party’s top priorities less than a week after the Texas Politics Project released a new poll showing a majority of Texans oppose the building of data centers in their communities.
According to the poll, 56% of Texans are in opposition to new data center construction in their communities, with 42% stating they “strongly opposed.”
“I’m proud to see the Texas Democratic Party embrace what I’ve been saying from day one,” Katy Padilla Stout, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 23, posted on Facebook Monday afternoon. “Texas shouldn’t keep approving massive data centers without first making sure our communities have the resources they need.”
Stout — who’s running against Republican gun advocate and YouTuber Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera to represent a district that includes part of San Antonio — said a pause was needed “to protect our water supply and our grid.”
The Texas Democrats’ unified opposition to the data center gold rush stands in contrast to the Texas Republican Party, whose delegates remain divided on the issue. That lack of unity was on display earlier in June despite Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issuing a statement the week of the convention calling for a crackdown on data centers.
The Texas GOP’s rift also reflects data presented by the Texas Politics Project poll. The survey shows 38% of Republicans expect AI to have a positive impact on the economy, while 40% expect a negative impact. Democrats, on the other hand, demonstrate a clear majority on the issue, with 61% expecting AI to negatively impact the economy while 21% expect a net positive.
A clear majority of Democratic respondents — 71% — were also opposed to local data center construction. Meanwhile, Republicans were split down the middle, with 42% saying they supported the construction of data centers in their community, while 44% were opposed.
While a contingent of Republicans at the state party’s convention expressed concern about the data center boom, much of the conversation centered around “local control” and increased regulations rather than an all-out moratorium, according to Houston Public Media.
For the Texas GOP’s biennial convention, held June 11-13 in Houston, party members initially listed data centers as their 15th highest legislative priority. That was well behind others pushing the party further right, such as opposing in vitro fertilization, banning trans teachers, punishing women who get abortions, putting a stop to “abortion pill trafficking,” overturning the Obergefell decision legalizing gay marriage and opposing what attendees characterized as the spread of Sharia law in Texas, according to multiple media reports.
This shortlist was led by the convention’s Legislative Priorities Committee, which determines the party’s focus ahead of the upcoming 90th Texas Legislative Session, kicking off in January.
During its initial sessions, the committee laid out tentative guardrails for AI development.
Those included: regulating AI, safeguarding against “surveillance overreach,” requiring data centers to “secure their own power generation,” ensuring no financial burden is placed on nearby utility customers, compensating surrounding communities for any pollution generated and prohibiting tax incentives, Houston Public Media reports.
GOP Bexar County judge candidate Patrick Von Dohlen, a member of the committee, told Houston Public Media that approximately a quarter of the convention’s attendees were concerned about data centers. Von Dohlen, who’s running against former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, a Democrat, said he and the rest of the committee would “take [attendees’] concerns into consideration.”
“County commissioners, they’re begging, screaming for more authority,” Von Dohlen told Houston Public Media. “Texas Commission on Environmental Quality … they’re basically rubberstamping these projects, and they’re not … being responsive to the locals.”
However, by the time the Texas Republicans’ 2026-2028 legislative priorities were finalized and approved, the only mention of data centers was in a category about protecting groundwater sovereignty. The document stated the party will “prohibit data centers and new large industrial users from consuming fresh groundwater and surface water by mandating nonpotable water such as oil and gas wastewater.”
After the Legislative Priorities Committee had chipped away at its more decisive language on data center development over numerous sessions, initial concerns raised about pollution, costs, surveillance, repealing tax incentives and other proposed restrictions fell by the wayside.
With both conventions now in the rearview mirror, Democrats reflected the growing public opposition to data centers in Texas while Republicans appeared ambivalent to it — even from within the party’s own ranks.
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