Platner Doesn’t Commit to Data Center Moratorium, Calls AI ‘Utterly Terrifying’
Democratic nominee has proposed rate freezes and taxes on oil companies.
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2026 — Maine’s Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner supports slowing data center development but has not committed himself to a concrete policy position.
In a May 9 interview with Heatmap, Platner said he is worried about AI’s social impact and is working on a policy plan to slow down development.
“We are dealing with a technology and a reality that we have done absolutely no regulatory preparation for, and that is utterly terrifying,” Platner said. His May 8 energy platform did not mention data centers or AI.
Platner did not fully commit to the national data center moratorium proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., saying that it “can’t be a moratorium for the sake of being a moratorium.” His energy platform would eliminate the federal gas tax, freeze electricity rate increases, and support a “windfall tax” on oil company profits proposed by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Data center moratoriums could be a significant issue in the Maine Senate election. Democratic Senate candidate Gov. Janet Mills announced in April that she would not run for reelection after vetoing a data center moratorium bill. She suspended her campaign against Platner on April 30, citing a lack of campaign funds.
Platner officially won the Democratic nomination Tuesday night with 71.9 percent of the vote.
