u/barola-minnpost

Faribault's city council primary featured 10 candidates vying for three open seats, and the crowded field couldn’t escape one key question leading up to last week's election day: 

How do you feel about data centers? 

Candidates across the state are fielding that same question from voters. Many of them are running in direct response to concerns over data centers.

MinnPost monitored city council filings in six cities prominently linked to data center developments over the last couple of years: Faribault, Farmington, Hermantown, Monticello, North Mankato and Pine Island.

In all six, there was an uptick in candidate filings this year compared to previous elections.

One door knock at a time, Aaron Schweiger is challenging Republican incumbent Natalie Zeleznikar in a district spanning Two Harbors, Hermantown, Proctor and rural areas north of Duluth. He is one of two DFLers looking to unseat House Republicans in northeastern Minnesota, with Aaron Kania facing Rep. Roger Skraba of Ely.