Data center debate hits 3rd Congressional District race

The influence of voter opposition to data center development on November’s elections has begun to show in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, in one of the state’s most hotly contested races. 

Both candidates in the race, Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Democrat Rebecca Cooke, as well as outside spending groups, have each worked to connect the other to pro-data center policies. 

Van Orden’s campaign has pointed out that Cooke worked with the Wisconsin Technology Council and the think tank Third Way, both organizations that have supported data center projects in the past. 

Cooke’s campaign and the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC have recently run ads criticizing Van Orden for taking campaign contributions from people and organizations tied to the data center industry while voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which included tax breaks that data center developers have used over the past year. 

The House Majority PAC ad refers to the two-term congressman as “Data Center Derrick” marking the alliterative danger for candidates of both parties whose names begin with the letter D this year. In Wisconsin’s race for governor, Republican Tom Tiffany has run ads criticizing “Data Center David” Crowley for his previous statements of support for data center projects. 

Voters in the western Wisconsin district have been vocal in their opposition to data center projects, successfully working to kill a proposed development in Menomonie last year.