HOUSTON — Texas’s outgoing agriculture commissioner is warning fellow GOP leaders that if they don’t take action soon against data centers, they could lose key races in November.
“I’ve been leading the charge against these data centers for a year or more, and it’s all falling on deaf ears,” Miller, who lost his primary election, told The Washington Post on Friday. “It’s going to hurt us in the midterms. I think we could lose some statewide races.”
Among the Republicans most at risk, he said: Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term; Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s running to replace Sen. John Cornyn; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick; and Nate Sheets, who is running to replace Miller.
While Abbott proposed data center restrictions this month that Paxton endorsed, Miller dismissed the “flip flop” as toothless “political fluff” and “pablum.”
“People are not buying it,” he said, demanding that Abbott declare a moratorium on data centers and call a special legislative session to address them.
Miller said he’s talked to rural Republican voters who say they won’t cast ballots in certain races or who plan to vote for Democrats for the first time.
He said Texas GOP Chairman D’rinda Randall called him last week and accused him of campaigning with Democrats after he appeared at anti-data-center events. Miller said he resented being “chewed out” for “not being a team player.”
“The Texas GOP is committed to addressing the concerns surrounding data centers in a manner that aligns with our party’s values and priorities,” Randall told The Post. “I understand the diverse perspectives within our party and am focused on fostering constructive dialogue to ensure the best outcome for all Texans.”
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