Republicans Gather in Dallas as Texans Question Decades of One-Party Leadership on Costs, Data Centers, and Energy

DALLAS – Republicans are gathering in Dallas this week for the party’s first-ever midterm convention, choosing Texas as a showcase for a state Republicans have controlled for nearly three decades. But that choice comes as signs of political vulnerability grow, and as Texans increasingly question whether the policies that have shaped the state are delivering for their families and communities.

Across the state, Texans are grappling with higher costs, rapid data center development, and destructive extreme weather. On each of these issues, the record of the party that has governed Texas for decades is coming under increasing scrutiny.

Data centers are a prime example. Texas Republicans spent years making the state a destination for the industry. Gov. Greg Abbott called Texas the “epicenter of AI development,” while state leaders offered incentives to attract new projects. Now, with 56% of Texans opposing data centers in their communities and as energy bills continue to rise, state leaders are pretending to change course even as Elon Musk (who owns the biggest, dirtiest data centers in the country) is bankrolling the campaigns of both Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton.

After nearly 30 years of Republican leadership, Texans are asking who benefits from policies that bring energy-intensive development to their communities, who pays when electricity demand rises, and whether their government is prepared to protect them as extreme weather becomes more costly with the skyrocketing insurance rates.

“Texans want leaders focused on what matters in their everyday lives – affordable energy, healthy communities, and the resources to recover when disaster strikes,” said Abby Cox, Climate Power State Director. “Texans deserve accountability and leaders willing to put communities first.”

The strain isn’t limited to electricity bills or insurance coverage. With at least 248 data centers planned statewide – on top of 335 already operating – Texas agriculture, an industry generating nearly $1 trillion in economic output, is increasingly competing with data centers for the same land, water and electricity. In Haskell County, a fourth-generation farmer was given 60 days to clear his crop after his landlord sold 600 acres to a Google data center. Abbott has yet to call a special session to address the concerns.

Instead, Abbott and Paxton are expected to be in Dallas this week for a $45M pep rally, featuring President Donald Trump shortly after his declaration that communities opposing data centers will be “backwards” and “poor” and his demand that communities “Let Data Reign.”

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