Center of attention: Data centers are dominating Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race

Across the country, Americans’ opinions on data centers are growing increasingly negative, with a recent Heatmap News poll showing 75% of Americans would oppose a data center being built in their communities – and 61% saying they would “strongly oppose” data center proposals. That sentiment holds in Pennsylvania, with data centers quickly becoming a dominant issue in the state’s race for governor between incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro and his GOP challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. 

Shapiro, a Democrat who is seeking reelection in this year’s race, has taken a harder stance on data centers as public opposition to them grows: He recently released a set of “responsible development” standards that data center developments must meet to unlock state tax benefits, and rolled out a website for Pennsylvanians to submit feedback on local data center proposals. 

Garrity has seized on the issue, knocking Shapiro over his past support for data center projects in Pennsylvania and promising to support a pause on data center development if elected. Shapiro’s campaign, meanwhile, has hit Garrity over past comments touting the state’s need to “deregulate” to promote more data center development. 

The war of words between the two candidates demonstrates just how divisive data centers have become as the state nears the November gubernatorial contest. 

Shapiro signs executive order on data centers

Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday aiming to protect Pennsylvania consumers from the impacts of data centers – a move that comes after months of increasingly negative public and political sentiment against data centers. 

The executive order, Shapiro said, directs developers to comply with previously proposed standards that were unable to get through the Republican-led state Senate. 

His Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development, or GRID, standards – proposed earlier this year – would require prospective data center developers to provide a notice of intent to comply with energy safeguards and require a local community’s approval before any project could begin construction. The executive order also immediately removes all data center projects from the state’s permit fast track program.

“Without proper controls, the proliferation of data centers could harm Pennsylvanians’ right to clean air and pure water because of their emissions, water use, and energy demand,” the executive order reads. “(T)his Administration will always fight to protect Pennsylvanians’constitutional rights and prevent excessive energy cost increases from being passed on to residents of the Commonwealth.”

Shapiro acknowledged his past support for data center projects, including a $20 million investment by Amazon to build two data center campuses in the state. “Last summer, I announced two projects that will bring thousands of new jobs and $20 billion in new investment to Pennsylvania in Salem Township, Luzerne County, and Falls Township, Bucks County. Since then, we’ve seen an unacceptable number of speculative proposals for data centers swamp our Commonwealth – many of them led by developers who have no regard for local communities,” he said upon signing his latest executive order. 

“If these companies want to do business here, they need to comply with the strictest guardrails in the nation on data center development, starting today. Otherwise, they’ll have to go somewhere else,” he added.

On Friday, the governor also encouraged Pennsylvanians to submit their concerns on local data center projects through the pa.gov/YourVoiceOnDataCenters website. 

A data (center)-driven campaign

Shapiro’s evolution on what has become an energy and environmental flashpoint nationally is now a point of attack for his opponent. 

Garrity’s campaign has recently honed in on Shapiro’s original embrace of artificial intelligence and data center projects. In a statement, Garrity’s campaign likened Shapiro’s executive order to “gaslighting,” saying Shapiro “was the biggest data center cheerleader in the nation” and had received campaign donations from the tech industry.

“Now that public opinion has turned against him and his donors, Josh Shapiro is playing CYA, and Pennsylvania voters aren’t buying it,” Garrity’s team said in the statement on Aug. 18. “Josh Shapiro lit the fuse on the chaos we are seeing in community-after-community across the commonwealth because he was more concerned with his political ambitions than fighting for Pennsylvania communities.”

Her latest campaign ads stress the same notes. Garrity’s campaign has run attack ads in Shapiro’s own Montgomery County, claiming his “data center scandal keeps growing.” The ad connects Shapiro’s campaign to donations from data center developers, saying “Shapiro sold us out.” 

During his remarks signing the executive order, Shapiro said the feedback he’s “gotten from people in their communities has shaped” his perspective on the issue. He added that the move will “put local leaders back in charge of their communities.”

Garrity’s views on data centers have also seemingly evolved over the course of the last year. In a 2025 interview on KDKA’s Big K Morning Show, Garrity said that “we need to deregulate” when discussing data center development.

She also previously stated that “very rural” areas of Pennsylvania could be “perfect places to put data centers.”

In a call with reporters on Friday, Garrity called on Shapiro to return more than $5 million in political contributions from “data center interests.” The sum includes contributions from individuals with ties to Big Tech, though not all of them are data center developers. That includes $3 million from Jennifer Duda, the wife of Arista Networks President Kenneth Duda, whose company manufactures hardware and networking software for data centers. Garrity also urged Shapiro to return $2 million from Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and former CEO of LinkedIn who currently serves as a Microsoft board member, as well as $500,000 from John Fish of Suffolk Construction and a $100,000 contribution from NorthPoint Development.

“If Josh Shapiro really believes these developers are greedy, if Josh Shapiro really believes they're predatory … then why is he pocketing their money?” Garrity said Friday.

Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s reelection campaign, highlighted Garrity’s past comments in support of data center regulation.

"Stacy Garrity’s long record of supporting completely unregulated data center development makes it clear that she just can’t be trusted,” Bonder said Friday in a statement. “Garrity’s true position is clear: she wants aggressive deregulation and hundreds more data centers built all across Pennsylvania communities – and we’re going to hold her accountable.”

The back-and-forth will likely only ramp up as the gubernatorial race enters the home stretch this fall. 

A July 2026 Quinnipiac University poll of the Pennsylvania governor’s race found Shapiro leading Garrity 53% to 40%, with 5% of registered voters undecided. In the same poll, 74% of Pennsylvania voters said they would oppose the construction of a data center in their community, while 16% said they would support a data center proposal. 

Meanwhile, a poll released in early August by National Public Affairs Polling, a GOP polling firm, had Shapiro pulling in support from 50% of likely voters and Garrity notching 43%. Of those surveyed, 7% said they were undecided on the race.