Where do Minnesota statewide office candidates stand on data centers?
Minnesota gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates are debating their stances on data center development, with bipartisan agreement on transparency and local authority but divisions on tax breaks, environmental standards, and energy costs. Legislative efforts to ban non-disclosure agreements and enact moratoriums have failed, despite public support for a moratorium. Candidates are outlining their proposals for regulating future data center projects in the state.
Minnesota's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races feature robust discussions among candidates regarding the future of hyperscale data center development in the state. Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, the DFL candidate, both emphasize transparency and local control for these projects. Demuth pledges to sign legislation banning local governments from signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with data centers, a shift from her previous stance, while Klobuchar advocates for strong state standards, local control, and requiring projects to cover 100% of energy and grid costs, along with disclosing electricity and water demands.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, opposes major tax breaks for Big Tech and stresses that communities should decide on data center projects, supporting an NDA ban, union labor, and adherence to Minnesota's environmental standards. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya agrees that new economic growth should be welcomed but must work for communities, ensuring residents have a say and aren't burdened with costs. She calls for developers to be upfront about needs, incentives, and cost coverage.
Legislative efforts in 2026, including a bipartisan bill to ban NDAs and proposals for data center moratoriums, failed to pass. While lawmakers successfully passed a data center bill in 2025 that included some environmental regulation and adjusted sales tax exemptions, no current statewide office candidate has expressed support for a statewide or federal moratorium, despite a recent poll showing 48% of Minnesota State Fair attendees support one.