Story Highlights
- Building the Future, a new super PAC focused on data center interests, is spending more than $1.5 million to support Republican Kansas state Sen. Ty Masterson in the gubernatorial race
- The group is an offshoot of Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC backed by major technology industry figures and considered a leading force in promoting industry interests in midterm elections
- Building the Future is simultaneously investing approximately $1.5 million in advertising for Republican Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race
- Data center development has emerged as a pivotal electoral issue across multiple states, with significant opposition intensifying among voters concerned about environmental and economic impacts
What Happened
A newly formed super PAC dedicated to promoting data center-friendly candidates is making substantial financial commitments to influence upcoming races. Building the Future has allocated more than $1.5 million toward supporting Masterson’s bid for the Kansas governorship, according to sources familiar with the spending. The organization operates as an extension of Leading the Future, a pro-artificial intelligence super PAC with backing from prominent technology industry leaders.
The super PAC’s activities extend beyond Kansas. Parallel efforts are underway in South Carolina, where Building the Future is directing approximately $1.5 million in advertising expenditures toward boosting Graham’s Senate campaign. These spending initiatives follow an August announcement by Build American AI, a nonprofit organization within the Leading the Future network, which unveiled a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign across Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin designed to promote policies favorable to data center development and growth management.
- Building the Future allocated $1.5 million to support Masterson’s Kansas gubernatorial campaign
- The super PAC is spending $1.5 million on advertising for Graham in the South Carolina Senate race
- Build American AI announced a multimillion-dollar campaign in August targeting Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- The organization framed its mission around supporting candidates backing responsible data center policies while protecting community resources and preventing utility rate increases
Why It Matters
The investment by Building the Future represents a significant development in how technology and artificial intelligence industry interests are mobilizing political resources to shape electoral outcomes. The scale of spending demonstrates the financial commitment major tech corporations are willing to deploy to advance candidates whose policy positions align with industry expansion goals. This activity underscores how data center development, previously a technical infrastructure matter, has transformed into a mainstream electoral issue that impacts voter decision-making across multiple states.
For Kansas specifically, the race holds particular strategic importance. Kansas represents one of the limited number of Democratic-controlled governorships that Republican strategists believe they have a realistic opportunity to capture. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has assessed the race as leaning Republican, making gubernatorial control a significant prize. The infusion of external funding targeting data center policies illustrates how national industry interests are directly influencing state-level political competition and shaping the terms of debate around economic development and environmental stewardship.
- Data center industry interests are directing multimillion-dollar political spending to support aligned candidates across multiple states
- Kansas gubernatorial race is one of few Democratic-held governorships Republicans view as winnable in the current cycle
- Voters in affected states face competing visions on data center regulation, community impact, and utility costs
- The spending pattern reveals growing political mobilization by technology and AI sectors to influence state policy on infrastructure development
Political and Public Context
Opposition to data center expansion has been building momentum across the country for several months. The large-scale facilities required to support artificial intelligence operations have become increasingly visible to local communities and have emerged as a central concern for voters in numerous states. Environmental considerations, including water resource impacts, and economic concerns, such as potential effects on electricity rates for residential consumers, have fueled public resistance to unfettered data center development.
In Kansas, gubernatorial candidate Masterson has positioned himself against implementing moratoriums on data center construction and has defended a 2025 state law that he voted for which provided sales tax exemptions for data center investments. His Democratic opponent has characterized these positions as favoring corporate interests over Kansans’ economic welfare and environmental protection. The Democratic opponent has announced opposition to data center development without strict guardrails and has called for comprehensive state-level moratorium measures. In South Carolina, Graham has framed data center investments as matters of national security importance while advocating for local jurisdictional authority over construction approvals. Graham’s Democratic opponent has campaigned against new data center projects and has used labels highlighting Graham’s association with the industry.
- Public opposition to data center development has intensified across multiple states over environmental and economic concerns
- Kansas features a competitive gubernatorial race between candidates with starkly different positions on data center regulation and industry incentives
- The state also has a contested Senate race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton
- Data center policy has become a defining issue in both Kansas and South Carolina electoral contests, with national implications for AI industry expansion
Building the Future, a new pro-data center super PAC, is spending more than $1.5 million to back Kansas Republican state Sen. Ty Masterson in the battle for governor, a person familiar with the spending tells NBC News. https://t.co/8qxJX4g0hB
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 26, 2026
What Happens Next
The influence of Building the Future’s spending on election outcomes remains to be determined as the campaign season progresses. Additional advertising and organizational efforts by the super PAC and affiliated groups are likely to continue through the election cycle, particularly in states where data center policy has become a prominent voter concern. The scale and scope of industry-backed spending in this electoral cycle may establish precedent for how aggressively technology companies pursue political engagement in state-level contests.
The electoral results in Kansas and South Carolina will provide important indicators regarding voter receptiveness to pro-data center messaging and industry policy preferences. A Republican victory in Kansas would represent a significant acquisition of Democratic-held executive power and would reflect voter acceptance of the incumbent’s data center position. Alternatively, a Democratic victory would demonstrate that public concerns about data center expansion and industry influence can overcome substantial external spending and political momentum. The outcomes will likely shape how technology companies calibrate future political investment strategies and how candidates in other states approach data center development questions.
- Additional spending by Building the Future and affiliated organizations is anticipated as election day approaches
- Kansas gubernatorial and Senate race outcomes will provide evidence regarding voter positions on data center development and industry influence
- Election results may influence technology industry strategies for future political engagement in state-level contests
- The races will demonstrate whether public opposition to data center expansion can withstand multimillion-dollar campaigns funded by industry interests
