A TV ad from Democrat Brandy Tollefson’s Assembly campaign shows the candidate walking along a sidewalk as she attacks Republican Rep. Ben Franklin over data centers.
“This is a perfect example of how Ben Franklin protects big corporations that rip us off,” Tollefson says, gesturing toward a facility behind her. “See, data centers use huge amounts of electricity while our power bills go through the roof.”
Tollefson gestures not toward a “data center” but rather a location that appears to be the Van Buren substation on Green Bay’s east side. The building behind it houses a distributor of commercial janitorial supplies. There is no data center at the site. Historical imagery from the Wisconsin Historical Society shows that the facility has occupied the site since at least 1967.
The presentation is dishonest. Viewers are shown ordinary utility infrastructure and a longstanding commercial building and are led to believe they are looking at the kind of energy-intensive data center driving up bills.
It is not the first time in recent weeks that a Tollefson ad has raised questions about what viewers are being shown. Last month, The Heartland Post reported that a Tollefson healthcare ad appeared to feature McKinley Falkowski, a paid Democratic campaign operative, in a doctor role.
The substance of the attack is also misleading.
Earlier this year, Assembly Republicans passed Assembly Bill 840 by a 53-44 vote. The measure, introduced by Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) and Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood), requires the Public Service Commission to ensure that no costs associated with the construction or extension of electric infrastructure primarily serving a data center are allocated to or recovered from any other customer. Data centers, not residential ratepayers, must pay for their own generation and transmission upgrades tied to their power use.
The bill also requires any renewable energy facility that primarily serves a data center’s load to be located at the data center site. Water used for cooling must be contained in a closed-loop system. Operators must annually report total water usage to the Department of Natural Resources and file a bond or other security sufficient to cover estimated reclamation costs if a project is not completed. Data center operators must also bear the costs of land reclamation as required by the local municipality.
Franklin, a first-term Republican, won the 88th District in 2024 by about 220 votes, the closest Assembly race in the state. Data centers have become a flashpoint in Wisconsin as large projects advance in communities such as Mount Pleasant and Port Washington.
