2026-10-19 · contested story
Data center anxiety plays out in Senate campaign debates
The nominal topic is 'data center anxiety' in Senate campaign debates, but the scraped corpus reveals that the Texas U.S. Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton is overwhelmingly framed around other issues — faith, corruption, abortion, billionaires, and a flu-fueled conspiracy theory — while data centers themselves appear in only a handful of sources. The clearest substantive data-center coverage comes from PBS (LEFT-CENTER), which profiled lifelong Republican Cheryl Shadden of Hood County, whose life was upended by a data center across the street ('It's become unbearable living here'), and whose grievance has pushed her away from Paxton. FOX 7 Austin (CENTER) adds the fullest policy discussion via independent candidate Jade Simmons, who notes '140 centers are here, 230 to 250 are being built.' Paxton is quoted via PBS calling to 'slow this down' and repeal a data-center tax break; Talarico wants to 'give local officials approval power over new data centers.' Beyond these, the issue is largely absent.
How each side frames it
left
"Ken Paxton's problem is that his opponent is hard for MAGA to hate."
"running against one of the most corrupt, lazy, and personally repulsive Republican candidates of all time in Ken Paxton (and that is an extremely competitive category)"
"That was a human being, a child of God. That was our sibling sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed."
"I have my doubts about the durability of this theory. So far, polling does not show Talarico making much of a dent among white evangelicals in Texas"
"She says it's constant noise is costing her sleep, her health, and her property value."
center
"All six statewide contests surveyed are within the poll's reported margin of error, meaning there's no statistically clear leader."
"you'll have one side tell you, oh, it's all rainbows and butterflies... The other side will tell you to go out and protest."
"the worst possible Republican candidate, Ken Paxton, the attorney general who faced impeachment in 2020"
"these are the strangest elections of my life. It seems as if they are making a bet at a bar... someone comes and says 'hold my beer'"
"THE FACTS: This is false. The facility where he was said to have been treated has denied he was ever a patient there."
right
"a leftist, "Christian"-cosplaying caricature like Talarico, who argues that the Annunciation justifies abortion"
"An anti-gun, anti-meat, anti-oil cheerleader for child transsexualism faces an uphill climb in a state that has flaunted its red-state credentials"
"predicted the oil and gas industry is "not gonna last," and has called for Americans to pare back "meat consumption.""
"Even with CNN by his side, James Talarico couldn't defend his record of supporting the far-left's extreme agenda at the expense of Texas working families"
"Despite the polling, the Republicans are actually getting a break because James Talarico is a nut."
What each side left out
The right left out — covered by the PBS News Hour & FOX 7 Austin
- Data center harms to residents (noise, utility bills, grid strain)
- Paxton's own call to repeal the data-center tax break
- Talarico's proposal to give local officials approval power over data centers
The left left out — covered by the PBS News Hour & FOX 26 Houston & NewsRadio 740 KTRH
- Paxton's actual economic/tax policy proposals (child tax credit, homebuyer deduction)
- Older voters strongly favoring Paxton by 13 points
- Republican argument that independents shift right closer to Election Day
The left left out — covered by the Texas Tribune & Creators Syndicate & Dallas Express
- Substantive critique of Talarico's shifting record on oil/gas and carbon-emissions bill
The center left out — covered by the PBS News Hour & FOX 7 Austin
- Deep engagement with data-center policy as a substantive campaign issue (most center coverage is pure horse-race/polling)
The right left out — covered by the The Guardian & KVII (AP) & Irish Times
- The disinformation campaign falsely claiming Talarico was in an Ohio mental facility was fueled by Paxton and Trump
- The Lindner Center explicitly denied he was ever a patient
What's actually true?
[unverified] A new data center across the street from Cheryl Shadden's home caused constant noise affecting her sleep, health and property value, pushing her to break from the Republican party.
[unverified] In late August, Ken Paxton called for repealing a tax break that spurred data center growth in Texas.
[unverified] Talarico wants to give local officials approval power over new data centers.
[unverified] Roughly 140 data centers already exist in Texas and 230 to 250 more are being built.
[verified] Paxton declined CNN's invitation to the town hall and has not agreed to debate Talarico despite multiple invitations.
[verified] The claim that Talarico was treated at an Ohio mental health facility is false; the Lindner Center of Hope denied he was ever a patient.
[verified] Talarico holds a narrow polling lead over Paxton, roughly 2-3 points, in most recent surveys, within the margin of error.
[verified] Paxton leads Talarico among voters 50 and older by 13 points (53% to 40%).
The narrative clash
Whether Talarico is genuinely moderate or a disguised far-left radical
Left: Talarico used the forum to present himself as a moderate Democrat willing to buck both his party and the opposition.
Right: the path forward is a simple, time-tested one: Expose the genuinely radical nature of Talarico.
Whether Talarico's polling lead is meaningful or will evaporate like past Democratic hopes
Left: Talarico is polling consistently, if only marginally, ahead, and O'Rourke did not. Maybe it's time to become a believer.
Right: The polls will probably tighten, as they often do... there is a long track record of pollsters showing large Democrat leads, only to see those leads dwindle or even vanish in a Republican win come Election Day.
What the Bible says about abortion
Left: The Bible is silent on the issue of abortion.
Right: I just want to add that the Bible is not silent on abortion. There is the 10 Commandments: 'Thou shall not kill,'
47 sources analyzed
The Bulwark PBS AOL.com New York Post Washington Examiner The American Prospect The Guardian SuaraGarut.ID WORLD News Group msn.com Fort Worth Star-Telegram Fox News The Texas Tribune KVII CNN Quantus Insights CNN FOX 7 Austin News From The States Modern Ghana Creators Syndicate Action Network CBS News FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth El Mundo America Dallas Express Axios The Irish Times KSAT economictimes.com Kalshi News Texas Standard Newsweek EL PAÍS English Local 3 News NewsRadio 740 KTRH gambling911.com Bryan College Station Eagle WLOS Yahoo Lone Star Left FOX 26 Houston The Mirror US - Emerson Polling OddsShopper The Facts eciks.org