WALTERBORO - Today, Dr. Annie Andrews joined community members in Walterboro to call for greater local control over data center development and highlight Darline Graham’s outspoken support for the industry. While Graham has championed data centers and benefited from more than $1 million in pro-AI spending backing her candidacy, she has offered no plan to protect South Carolina families from higher costs.
At the event, Andrews launched DataCenterDarline.com, a new website highlighting Graham support for data centers, the money being spent to back her candidacy, and her support for $70 billion in tax breaks for data centers.
“I want new investment and good-paying jobs right here in South Carolina — but not at the expense of our farmers, our communities, our property rights, or our quality of life,” said Dr. Annie Andrews. “Your bills are high enough already. South Carolina families shouldn’t have to pay even more so billionaires and Big Tech can make even more money.
$70 billion for them and over $1 million for her. Darline’s record is clear:
- $1 MILLION+ BACKING HER: Pro-AI special interests have spent more than $1 million supporting Graham’s candidacy.
- $70 BILLION IN TAX BREAKS FOR THEM: Graham supported the bill that gave $70 billion in tax breaks for data centers.
- “WE HAVE TO HAVE DATA CENTERS”: Graham has been unequivocal about her support, saying, “We have to have data centers” and “We need to build data centers here.”
“Darline Graham has been loud and clear about supporting data centers and tax breaks for them, Andrews continued. “But where is her plan to cut your taxes or lower your costs? … South Carolinians deserve a senator who answers to them — not the special interests spending millions to put her in office.”
The event was held in Colleton County, where residents have fiercely pushed back against data center development and demanded a greater say in what gets built in their communities. The fight in Colleton is just one of many playing out across South Carolina as communities confront a growing wave of data center development and concerns about their land, water, power bills, and local control.
The Walterboro event builds on Andrews’ focus on data centers and rising costs across South Carolina. Last week, she visited a $2.8 billion data center under construction in Spartanburg. Before that, Andrews brought her Gas, Grits & Groceries Affordability Tour to Aiken, where she called for a two-year moratorium, an end to data center tax breaks, and legislation to keep data center costs off families’ power bills.
Andrews’ plan would also stop data centers from passing their costs onto South Carolina families, end special tax breaks for data centers, and cut red tape standing in the way of new energy infrastructure that can help bring costs down.
“I’ll never take my direction from politicians in Washington, corporations, Big Tech, or any other insider,” Andrews concluded. “I take my direction from South Carolinians. I answer to you. And I’ll always fight to put your families first — and make sure you, and you alone, have the power to decide what happens in your community.”