Left of Lansing Calls Out Tom Barrett's Data Center Record in Campaign Ad Critique
The Left of Lansing Friday Short critiques a campaign ad by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett (MI-7), who claims he stood up to his party and Big Tech by voting against tax dollars for data centers and supports local control and AI transparency. Host Pat Johnston argues this is misleading, citing journalist David Dayen of The American Prospect: the referenced 2015 vote opposed incentives for one non-AI data center project near Grand Rapids, while Barrett later supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (tax relief benefiting Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, and others for AI infrastructure), an early version with a 10-year state AI regulation ban, and the SPEED Act weakening environmental reviews for data centers. The segment contrasts Barrett with his progressive Democratic opponent William Lawrence, who has opposed local data centers, and notes similar shifts by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate candidate Mike Rogers amid donor ties to Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. It references Axios reporting on data centers as a potential 'sleeper issue' for Republicans and argues funds could better repair Michigan schools needing $23 billion. Sources are primarily The American Prospect, Axios, and Bridge Michigan; no opposing guests appear.
Source: Left of Lansing