Paxton says he’ll rein in data centers. He voted for their tax break and took their donors’ money.
He voted for the data-center tax exemption now costing billions, took at least $448,000 from data-center-linked donors, and his office stalled a county’s question about pausing them.
Paxton claims he will rein in data centers and put Texas first.
Source: Campaign data center platform, Aug. 24, 2026 · The Texas TribuneWhat the record shows
As a state senator in 2013, Paxton voted for the data-center sales tax exemption, which the state comptroller now projects will cost $3.2 billion over the next two years. 01 His federal political operation has taken at least $448,000 from executives and PACs of companies that build, run or invest in data centers. 02
When Hood County asked his office in February 2026 whether counties can pause data center development, his office still had not answered by August, saying it needed more time. 03 04
The record behind this
- Paxton voted for the data-center tax break now projected to cost $3.2 billion over two years
He was a freshman state senator.
- Paxton’s office stalls six months on whether a county can pause data centers
The same day, he released a campaign platform on data centers that does not address county authority.
Paxton’s response
Paxton said his plan puts Texas first, and his campaign did not respond to questions about the donations. 01 02
Sources
- 01Ken Paxton releases data center platformThe Texas Tribune · Aug. 24, 2026
- 02Ken Paxton rakes in data center donations as Texans turn against industryNOTUS · Aug. 11, 2026
- 03Can counties stop data centers? Ken Paxton won’t say.Houston Chronicle · Aug. 24, 2026
- 04Hood County rejects second data center moratorium, seeks attorney general’s opinionKERA News · Feb. 25, 2026