VOTER'S GUIDE: Kansas political candidates' stances on data center development

KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. She's been reporting on data centers extensively in the Kansas City metro. Share your story idea with Isabella.

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Voters in Kansas will head to the polls in less than three weeks for the primary election on August 4.

A number of seats are up for grabs for the 2026 election, including the U.S. Senate office for Kansas and Governor's Office.

Over the last few months, data centers have become an increasingly popular topic within metro communities on both sides of the state line. Many elected officials and political candidates for a number of offices have started to speak out publicly on data center development and incentives from governments.

Many KSHB 41 News viewers have expressed the importance of data centers when it comes to elected officials. We asked each candidate for the Kansas City metro registered for the Kansas primary election their stance on data center development.

Each candidate received the same list of questions at the same time with a week to respond. Candidates were asked if they support the continued expansion of data centers in region, the biggest impacts of rapid data center growth and if they support tax breaks for data centers. Answers have been edited in part for brevity.

You can see more of KSHB 41 News' stories on data centers here.

U.S. Senator for Kansas

• Damon Anderson (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Christy Davis (Democrat) - "I do not support the mess that has been companies trying to sneak into communities that are desperate for jobs and investment while not being honest for fear of opposition to the very real concerns about the damage data centers do. No [I do not support state or local tax breaks for data centers]. If we are going to support data centers - let’s build them in the industrial areas where we currently have the resources and the infrastructure to ensure they are not damaging the things that make Kansas beautiful or preying on our communities."
  
• Adam Hamilton (Democrat) - "To me the heart of the data center debate is who decides, and that ought to be the local community. If a town decides a project is worth it to land the jobs or increase their tax base, that's their decision. But if they don't want one, that should be their decision too... If you're a data center, you should pay your own way. A data center's water can't come at the expense of a town's drinking water or a farmer's irrigation, and it can't show up as a higher bill for the family next door."
  
• Jason Hart (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Kevin Latz (Democrat) - "Data centers are not being built for the benefit of Kansans. With current technology, data centers often increase the cost of electricity and put dwindling water supplies at further risk. Data centers have moderate benefits with significant risks... I do not support state, nor local, tax breaks for data centers. I would be very cautious of expanding data centers into our communities, especially when we lack regulation to protect the people of Kansas."
  
• Erik Murray (Democrat) - "We’re in favor of a temporary moratorium on data centers until the appropriate environmental and financial guardrails that would protect people and planet are in place. Data centers bring capital investment, good construction jobs, and a tax base, but growth without guardrails just privatizes the gains and socializes the costs and risks... [In regards to supporting state or local tax breaks], Absolutely not. Community resources should be directed towards community benefit."
  
• Sandy Spidel Neumann (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Anne Parelkar (Democrat) - "I do not support continued expansion of data centers in the way we’ve seen it happening currently. No project should be approved without the consent of the people in the communities. We've watched time and again as data center projects and other corporate developments are pushed through seemingly without the knowledge of the general public... I support taxing corporations and billionaires. I'd also like for them to be required to create their own resources and require that they enter into community benefit agreements with localities."
  
• Patrick Schmidt (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Michael Soetaert (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Noah Taylor (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Roger Marshall (Republican) - "Kansas isn't going to hand over our land, water, or power grid to Big Tech companies that turn a profit while local families foot the bill with taxpayer giveaways. I support the counties in Kansas who are standing up and saying NO to data centers."
  
• Pond Naramore (Republican) - No response by time of publication.

Kansas Governor

• Stacy Rogers (Republican) - "Nobody is protecting our resources, and these companies are predatory. There's nobody holding them accountable to those answers right now, and they're taking advantage of cities and counties in the process... Do a moratorium and pump the brakes on these, put those regulations in place. We need to make sure that that any project coming into the state, doesn't matter what it is, is going to benefit Kansas. And we're not seeing that in a lot of these projects."
  
• Ty Masterson (Republican) - "Folks build here on our terms or they don’t build here. [The Kansas Ratepayer Protection Pledge] pledge protects our land and resources, protects families’ utilities, and it keeps China out of our grid. And as I have always said, the final decisions on building should be left to the local communities themselves."
  
• Charlotte O'Hara (Republican) - "No [I do not support the continued expansion of data centers in the region], the reason the data centers have stampeded into Kansas is because of the passage of SB 98 in 2025 giving data centers a 20-year sales tax exemption. Repeal SB 98 and repeal all local tax incentives and the data centers will not come to Kansas. There is no return on investment with the 20-year sales tax exemption and the billions of dollars of local property tax abatements."
  
• Nick Reinecker (Republican) - "I am not a fan of bans nor the picking of winners and losers in a free market. Local governments and individuals they represent should be at the helm of this issue and if there are abuses or emergency situations I will use whatever executive powers I have as Governor to mitigate, prepare, or respond appropriately. I am not a fan of governments picking winners and losers in the free market nor am I a fan of governments banning carved-out segments of the free market."
  
• Philip Sarnecki (Republican) - "[I announced my plan to pass a 5-year AI data center moratorium]. The first job of Governor is to protect the people of Kansas. If a county doesn't want an AI data center, then a company shouldn't be able to build a data center in that county. I will stop unwanted AI data centers from coming into our state."
  
• Vicki Schmidt (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Scott Schwab (Republican) - "Data centers are necessary in the United States as the country wages a technology war with other nations, particularly China. That being said, [I do] not favor a statewide policy regarding data center location or permitting in Kansas. This should be a local decision made by cities, counties, and if necessary, local voters. Units of government should give careful consideration to incentives for data centers and provide them when appropriate."
  
• Ethan Corson (Democrat) - "I believe the decision regarding data centers should be made by communities, not handed down from Topeka politicians. I will institute statewide guardrails so that data centers pay their full share of energy costs, mandate the use of a closed loop system to minimize water usage, and enter into decommissioning agreements to ensure companies, not communities, pay to remove a data center if it is no longer in use."
  
• Cindy Holscher (Democrat) - "I am the only candidate in this race who has called for a statewide moratorium on new AI data centers. Before approving additional projects, we need much stronger guardrails to protect local communities and ensure new developments don’t drain our water resources and electrical grid... I did vote for SB98 in 2025, and I would not vote for that bill again. I do not believe Kansas should continue offering generous tax incentives to corporate interests and billionaire tech companies while our everyday people continue to struggle."
  
• Curt Skoog (Democrat) - "I support responsible data center development when it pays its own way and safeguards the resources Kansans cannot replace, especially water. We can’t look at data centers in isolation. They are critical infrastructures that can create jobs, attract investment and strengthen our economy. Economic development incentives should be earned, not automatic. I support incentives, state or local, when they produce clear public benefits."

Kansas U.S. Representative District 1

• Tracey Mann (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Craig Musser (Republican) - "I do not support blind expansion across the state. Each locale of the state should decide if the benefits outweigh the negatives. This is not an issue where blanket decisions work... Tax breaks for this type of industry is not wise because the benefit of having them is primarily the tax revenue and technology changes."
  
• Colin McRoberts (Democrat) - "I do not support the buildout of hyperscaling data centers in the First District unless the local community chooses to permit the project democratically, after being fully and fairly informed of the project’s costs and benefits. Tax breaks for data centers are a risky investment by the local government. They may pay off, but communities should vote on whether or not to approve them."
  
• Lauren Reinhold (Democrat) - "There is no one-size-fits-all approach for this district. I am in support of data centers where the local community approves, after transparent information is shared with the community, and there is no harm to the community. No [I do not support state or local tax breaks for data centers]. As long as data centers are built by for-profit industry, we should not be subsidizing their expenses."

Kansas U.S. Representative District 2

• Derek Schmidt (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Chad Young (Republican) - "No I do not support continued expansion. The reason I don't is America [wastes] more electricity from an already weak grid and they use more electricity from data centers than all other countries combined... I don't think they should get breaks because they are big corporation."
  
• Don Coover (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.

Kansas U.S. Representative District 3

• Chase LaPorte (Republican) - "From a federal office standpoint, data centers should be thoroughly vetted by all proper domestic legal and environmental agencies."
  
• Eric Jenkins (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Sharice Davids (Democrat) - “Data center decisions are primarily made at the state and local level, but the standard should be clear: no data center should move forward if it raises electricity costs for families, wastes our limited water resources, or shifts the burden onto Kansas communities. Kansas should of course continue pursuing opportunities that create good-paying jobs and help us compete globally, and that must be done transparently and responsibly.”
  
• Sarah Preu (Democrat) - "I do not support hyper scale data center expansion into our district communities without demand studies and standardize development guidelines from the state and national level... I do not support more tax breaks for billionaires and centi-millionaires who are just trying to ride a bubble and have no plans to be good faith stewards of the dollars these communities are gifting them with tax breaks."

Johnson County Commission Chairperson

• Mike Kelly - "A “moratorium” is a tool of political convenience – it’s not leadership. It’s pandering. Leaders must evaluate any economic development project, including data centers, on a case-by-case basis. I believe in local control, allowing those you elect to evaluate each project and find the right balance."
  
• Gene Senesac - "As cities and counties may be approached with data center business interest, I support that, before a governing body vote is taken, residents are presented any and all details about a formal proposal and that all resident questions and concerns are properly addressed. Generally speaking, I support keeping tax breaks for any development to a minimum."
  
• Karen Crnkovich - "I am not pro-data center or anti-data center. I am pro-smart decisions. Data centers may make sense in some locations, but not every proposal automatically benefits our community. Before approving additional projects, we need objective data on their long-term impacts. I believe incentives should be earned, not assumed."

Kansas Secretary of State

• Pat Proctor (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Jennifer Day (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Samuel Lane (Democrat) - "I think local communities should have the final say of what goes up around [data centers]. That said, I’d encourage them to think twice. [I do not support state or local tax breaks for data centers.]

Kansas Attorney General

• Kris Kobach (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Chris Mann (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.

Kansas Commissioner of Insurance

• Daniel Hawkins (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Dinah Sykes (Democrat) - No response by time of publication.

Kansas State Treasurer

• Steven Johnson (Republican) - No response by time of publication.
  
• Juan C. Luengo (Democrat) - "I believe data centers, along with other major investments, will help drive Kansas into the future, creating opportunities for higher wages, technological advancement, and a stronger tax base that supports our schools and communities. A company that receives public incentives must meet every requirement it agreed to, including job creation targets, wage standards, and reinvestment in the community it operates in."

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