{"id":44445,"date":"2026-08-17T14:18:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=44445"},"modified":"2026-08-17T14:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:18:26","slug":"data-centers-emerging-as-key-issue-in-illinois-governors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/44445-data-centers-emerging-as-key-issue-in-illinois-governors-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Centers Emerging as Key Issue in Illinois Governor’s Race"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Article Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • The emergence of a new class of data centers has garnered bipartisan opposition in communities across the state. What was once seen as an avenue for economic growth has become a political issue in Illinois, and one on which candidates from both sides of the aisle are hoping to distinguish themselves.<\/li>\n
  • Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker once championed data centers as a driver of new jobs, signing a tax incentive program to bring more of them to the state.<\/li>\n
  • But as data centers have scaled up, he\u2019s paused state incentives and his position has evolved to one of \u201cresponsible growth.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • Republican candidate Darren Bailey has both criticized Pritzker\u2019s pause of the tax incentive program and claimed credit for inspiring it.<\/li>\n
  • He now says he would go further than Pritzker and pause all existing data center tax agreements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    When Gov. JB Pritzker signed tax incentives for data centers into law in his first year as governor in 2019, Republicans and Democrats\u00a0celebrated<\/a>\u00a0the plan as an economic driver.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn today\u2019s world, data centers are as critical a part of our infrastructure as our roads, trains and schools,\u201d Pritzker said in October 2019. \u201cWith the legislation I signed into law, we are welcoming a surge of economic development, labor income, and good union jobs to Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Now, eight years and nearly two full terms later, the governor has\u00a0paused<\/a>\u00a0those incentives as the onset of data centers has stressed energy and water\u00a0resources<\/a>\u00a0and public opinion has swiftly turned against the tech behemoths.<\/p>\n

    At the crux of the changing debate on data centers is the advent of artificial intelligence. The technology requires a new class of data center: hyperscale, always-on facilities that require massive amounts of energy.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe weren\u2019t talking about AI hyperscalers back in 2019,\u201d Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference earlier this month. \u201cI\u2019ve already taken action. We\u2019ve taken away the data center tax credits that existed, but it\u2019s with the goal of getting legislation that will ensure that the people of Illinois, the businesses of Illinois, are not having burdened upon them higher electric rates, higher water rates, or having environmentally unsound practices by these data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    \"JB<\/a><\/p>\n

    Gov. JB Pritzker\u2019s post from September 2023 speaks favorably about data centers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Polling conducted<\/a> this spring on behalf of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, which has led the push for data center regulations, showed Illinoisans from across the political spectrum favoring legislation that would require hyperscale data centers to bring their own energy and establish new reporting requirements on water use and environmental impacts.<\/p>\n

    Pritzker\u2019s Republican opponent Darren Bailey has also evolved in his support of data centers. While seeking to seize on their unpopularity by blaming the governor for the incentives package, he\u2019s making AI a major piece of his\u00a0campaign strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \u201cTo be anti-AI, anti-data center, that\u2019s not what this is about at all,\u201d Bailey said in an interview. \u201cThis is about protecting the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Evolving tech landscape<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The changing public perception of data centers tracks with the evolution of the industry \u2014 and that\u2019s led political candidates to take notice.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI think political candidates have sort of realized more within the last year or so just how important this issue is to voters because it goes so far beyond just energy bill impacts,\u201d Illinois Environmental Council spokesperson Hannah Flath said. \u201cRegardless of your political affiliation, regardless of where you live in the state of Illinois or across the country, you have a reason, at least one reason, to be concerned about data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Per the Clean Jobs Coalition survey, when respondents were asked whether they would support regulations on data centers \u201cto minimize their impact on our utility bills, climate and water while still allowing them to be built,\u201d 68% of respondents said they would somewhat or strongly support such legislation. Support was slightly stronger at 71% among Democrats and Independents, though 62% of Republicans also supported the idea.<\/p>\n

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