A campaign sign recently photographed in White Haven tells voters to “Stop Data Centers” — and features the names of Stacey Garrity and Rob Bresnahan prominently across the top.
Both candidates are on record supporting data center development in Pennsylvania. Neither endorsed the candidate whose campaign produced the sign. Neither has said a word about being on it.
The Sign and the Campaign Behind It
The sign was paid for by Bill Jones, a Republican who ran for the 117th State House seat and lost last week’s primary 72-28. Jones’s own post-defeat comments were telling — he credited incumbent Jamie Walsh’s reputation as someone “trusted to stop data centers” as a factor in his loss. Walsh’s position was blunt: data centers “do not belong in the 117th District.”
Jones’s position was softer. He called it “never an easy yes or a hard no — it’s a matter of where.” That’s not opposition. That’s negotiation. And the candidates he put his name next to? They’re not even negotiating.
What Garrity Actually Says About Data Centers
Garrity, now running for Governor, stood at the Pennsylvania Press Club in January and told the audience there are “a lot of areas where you can put data centers” across rural Pennsylvania. She wants to tap the state’s natural gas reserves to power them. She has called it part of her economic vision for the commonwealth.
What Bresnahan Actually Says About Data Centers
Bresnahan, your congressman, spoke at an industry conference in Las Vegas about the 11 gigawatts of new energy demand heading to his district alone from nine planned data centers. He told the crowd the federal government needs to get “out of the way.” He’s been to meetings, spoken at forums, and pushed to cut permitting red tape to get these projects built faster.
Why This Matters to You
Residents in Wayne, Pike, and Monroe Counties have organized against data center proposals. Concerns about well water contamination, noise, strain on the power grid, and the wholesale industrialization of communities built around quiet and open land are not fringe issues here. People moved to this region specifically to get away from what data centers bring.
So when those same residents see “Stop Data Centers” signs with Garrity and Bresnahan on them, they may reasonably assume those candidates share their concerns.
They don’t.
If stopping data centers is your issue this election, look past the signs. Garrity wants to build them across rural Pennsylvania. Bresnahan has spent his first term in Congress making the case for why they should come here.
The signs say stop. The candidates say go.
This article will be updated if Garrity, Bresnahan, or their campaigns respond with a statement regarding their appearance on these signs.