Sid Miller to join Democratic nominee for agriculture commissioner at data center forum

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune
June 2, 2026

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller will speak at a bipartisan forum alongside Clayton Tucker, the Democratic candidate running for the Republican’s seat, to discuss the impact of data center construction in Texas.

The forum, which was announced on Tucker’s campaign website, is being hosted by Matagorda County Against Data Centers, but is not billed as a campaign event. In an interview, Miller said organizers reached out to him prior to Tucker’s involvement and he agreed because it was “the right thing to do” because so few state officials have publicly expressed concern over data center construction.

“I’m not doing it in conjunction with him, I’m doing it as an agreement to the people,” Miller said. “When I agreed to do it, I didn’t even know he was part of it.”

Miller, who has served as agriculture commissioner since 2015, has long been outspoken about concerns over data centers’ rapid expansion, including calling for a moratorium on data center construction in the state in an op-ed published in mid-May. Taking up usable farmland, strain on the state’s electrical grid and environmental concerns are some of the many issues he cited for why he wants the state to have more time to respond to the centers’ rapid growth.

“I’m not big on regulation, but we’re going to have to put some kind of guardrails around these because right now, there are none,” Miller said.

While Miller said he’s “not coming to be bipartisan” at the event, he commended Tucker’s opposition to data centers and on temporarily suspending the gas tax.

“I’d never endorse a Democrat, I’ve never campaign for a Democrat, but this guy, he’s right on the issue. I mean, he’s right on other issues, too,” Miller said.

Tucker has made opposition to data centers a pillar of his campaign, including by soliciting tips from constituents about planned data centers in their area and asking whether elected officials are “being shady” about construction. Tucker said in an interview that farmers and rural residents have faced the brunt of disruption caused by data centers, and that frustration has superseded traditional political division.

“We’ve been treated as sacrificial lambs for economic development that benefits the greedy few: the Wall Street folks, or the Silicon Valley folks or the very folks at the very top, while the rest of us are given either pennies or higher bills,” he said.

At least 248 data centers are currently planned to be built in Texas, almost half of which are set to be built in unincorporated areas, a Texas Tribune analysis found. The state currently has 335 existing data centers.

Miller was commended by Tucker for focusing on keeping data center regulation a bipartisan issue and said their staff have been communicating to ensure the forum runs smoothly.

Tucker is facing Republican nominee Nate Sheets in the race for agriculture commissioner. Sheets beat Miller for the Republican nomination after receiving the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott.

Tucker said he was unsure whether organizers had invited Sheets to the event. Sheets’ campaign did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.