In a statement to Courier New Mexico, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland said that if elected governor she would support a statewide moratorium on data centers — pausing new projects until the state sets rules for the industry.
“People are rightly concerned about data centers and their impact on our communities,” Haaland wrote. “We have a charge to protect our communities with guardrails including regulating and reporting water consumption, protecting consumers from strain on our grid and energy costs, ensuring these jobs go to New Mexicans workers, and more.”
Haaland’s comments came in response to an Albuquerque Journal poll published Sept. 2 that found 75% of likely New Mexico voters support a statewide data center moratorium. The same poll found 65% oppose building large-scale data centers in the state at all.
Republican candidate Gregg Hull, a former Rio Rancho mayor, told Courier New Mexico that he would not support a statewide moratorium.
“A blanket ‘no’ tells every business looking at New Mexico that we are closed for economic diversification, and that sends the wrong signal at exactly the moment we should be competing for these investments,” Hull wrote.
Hull argued every project should be evaluated on its own capacity to protect ratepayers and community utilities, instead of being regulated by a “one size fits all rule out of Santa Fe.”
“Data centers need to be sited responsibly, with real accountability for water use, energy impact, and community input, and with siting decisions driven by local infrastructure capacity, not just available land,” Hull wrote.
These comments echo similar statements the candidates made in July to Source New Mexico.
Support from voters and lawmakers
The poll’s breakdown shows opposition to large-scale data centers in New Mexico is bipartisan: 71% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans oppose them. Even 63% of voters who approve of President Donald Trump want a statewide data center moratorium, despite Trump’s Aug. 31 Truth Social post calling communities opposing data centers “backwards and poor.”
The next governor will likely have to make that call. In July, four Democratic lawmakers — State Sen. Carrie Hamblen (D-Las Cruces) and state Reps. Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), Micaela Lara Cadena (D-Mesilla), and Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces) — announced they would introduce a statewide data center moratorium during the 2027 legislative session, which begins in January.
“People are concerned about water use, increased electric bills, and air emissions that will have long-lasting health impacts,” wrote Chávez, Lara Cadena, and Rubio in a joint statement shared with Courier New Mexico.
“Any colleague who votes against a moratorium is voting against their constituents’ wishes—regardless of political affiliation.”
This issue is already a big deal
The opposition to large scale data centers and their impact on New Mexican communities isn’t just being seen in polling. Socorro, Santa Fe, and Sierra counties have already passed temporary data center moratoriums, and Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D) publicly pushed Socorro County to adopt its yearlong pause.
Project Jupiter, the massive AI data center for Open AI and Oracle already under construction near Santa Teresa, is in its own fight. The New Mexico Supreme Court on Aug. 23 unanimously paused an emergency well authorization for the project and put its air-permit hearing on hold, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D) is demanding state agencies publicly account for how much water the project will use.
Whoever wins in November will be the one holding the pen when that bill reaches the governor’s desk. The same Journal poll found Haaland leading Hull 49% to 43%, with 8% undecided.
