Maine’s data center revolt will decide who controls the Senate

Maine's Senate race has become a flashpoint over data center expansion, with 76 percent of respondents in a September UMass Lowell/YouGov poll opposing a data center in their community and towns adopting temporary moratoriums after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a statewide moratorium bill in April. Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has secured $6.2 million for a high-performance computing hub and received $325,644 from AI and crypto donors, while her opponent Troy Jackson holds a similar stance focused on AI guardrails and union jobs. The race, projected as the most expensive Senate race per capita, will help determine Senate control and shape federal data center and AI policy.