Rural Texas Voters Threaten to Abandon Abbott Over Data Center and Power Line Plans

In Texas, a Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton appears unusually close, but a separate issue is reshaping the governor's race. Governor Greg Abbott’s push for expansive data centers and a $33 billion electric-transmission build-out has sparked strong resistance among rural voters, who worry about environmental impacts and the erosion of their communities. Political analyst Shelby Webb notes that this discontent may drive longtime conservatives to back a Democratic gubernatorial candidate for the first time in decades.

West Texas commissioner Shawn Nanny describes the data-center and power-line plans as the final straw, saying many voters simply want Abbott out. Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project adds that rural opposition to such infrastructure exceeds resistance to other projects, and recent polling shows Abbott’s approval has fallen to 48 percent, a warning sign for the GOP.