Kansas Governor Primary Heats Up as Data Center Debate Divides Candidates

Kansas governor hopefuls are trading accusations over their positions on the state's booming data-center industry as the primary approaches.

In the final stretch before Kansas' primary elections, the governor's race is being shaped by a fierce debate over the state's rapidly expanding data-center sector. Republican state Senator Ty Masterson, who supported a 2025 bill granting 20-year tax incentives to developers, is the target of a $300,000 advertising campaign funded by businessman Philip Sarnecki, who accuses him of catering to big-tech interests. Democratic state Senator Cindy Holscher, also a former supporter of the bill, has pivoted to demand a moratorium on new data centers, a stance her rivals portray as a flip-flop and amplify through anonymous social-media ads.

Other GOP contenders, such as Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, favor outright bans, while Democrat Ethan Corson backs regulated growth with a local-first approach. The clash mirrors growing voter concerns about environmental impacts and utility costs, reflected in city-council votes and a recent one outlet's poll showing bipartisan backlash. As the primaries near, candidates hope their data-center positions will sway party bases and decide the next governor of a state that backed Donald Trump by a wide margin in 2024.