alt Hacker NewsI think you are oversimplifying the situation. The problem were not data centers per se, but Mr. Paxton, who, except being a rather horrible person (his own party tried to get rid of him) was taking money from lobbyists and then was trying to push their agenda without taking into account any concerns.
I should clarify: I'm not talking about Texas; this trope was used across the country this election cycle, even at the most local of local elections.
Dog-catcher candidates were taking disingenuous anti-datacenter stances if they thought it could get them votes.