New super PAC plans $1.5 million push to back Kansas state senator

A new political committee backed by the data center industry is spending more than $1.5 million to support Kansas state Sen. Ty Masterson in the race for governor, according to a person familiar with the spending who shared the details Monday. The committee, Building the Future, is an offshoot of Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by artificial intelligence companies.

The Kansas spending comes alongside a separate plan to spend about $1.5 million on advertising for GOP Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race, according to a report from The New York Times earlier Monday. Build American AI, a nonprofit that operates within the Leading the Future network, announced in August that it would spend millions on advertising in Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin to back policies governing the growth of data centers. It also announced the creation of Building the Future at that time. The group said it would back candidates who support policies that protect water resources and prevent increases in electricity bills.

Data center construction has drawn opposition in several states as the buildings needed for the AI boom become an issue for voters. In Kansas, Masterson has opposed moratoriums on data centers and voted for a 2025 law that provides a sales tax exemption for data center investments. His opponent, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, voted for that law as well but has since called for a statewide moratorium on the developments. In a statement Monday, Kelly called Masterson a "stooge for Big Tech" who wants "to put a data center on every corner and in every cornfield." She added, "These billionaire CEOs know that I won't do their bidding, and that's why they're spending millions to beat me." Masterson did not immediately provide comment.

Kansas is one of the few Democratic governorships that Republicans have a chance to flip this fall. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists the race as leaning Republican. The state also has a competitive Senate contest between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton. In South Carolina, Graham has described the investments as necessary for national security and has supported local control over where they are built. Her Democratic opponent, Annie Andrews, has called for a moratorium on new projects and labeled Graham "Data Center Darline."

Build American AI's multimillion-dollar advertising campaign in Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin was announced in August.