Bob Brooks, the Democrat running for the House in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, has made opposition to data centers a leading issue in his campaign. He's posted about them frequently while accusing his opponent, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, of supporting data centers.
Mackenzie cashes Big Tech’s checks and then votes to support more data centers in our communities without our neighbors' input.
— Bob Brooks (@VoteBobBrooks) September 26, 2026
Money talks. Just look at his record. pic.twitter.com/BOgVKfGxTJ
But there's a problem with this: Brooks and his wife own as much as several hundred thousands of dollars in stocks in AI companies, companies that rely on data centers.
Brooks' personal financial disclosure shows that this "working class" candidate and his wife have a large stock portfolio, one dominated by AI-affiliated companies. In fact, AI investments represent nearly half of Brooks' individual stock portfolio, with 21 of 49 individual positions. This doesn't include Brooks' positions in things like index funds that also invest in AI.
The problems with Brooks' double standard don't stop there, however. Immediately after Gov. Josh Shapiro's own flip-flop on data centers, removing them from the state's fast track permitting program, Brooks jumped on social media to argue for national legislation "that makes these protections federal law."
Utility costs are already too high. The last thing we need are data centers raising our energy costs while an out-of-state corporation gets rich.
— Bob Brooks (@VoteBobBrooks) August 18, 2026
I’m grateful Governor Shapiro is taking these steps to protect regular Pennsylvanians and allow communities to veto data center… https://t.co/IzY2EI3dc3
The very next day Brooks admitted he hadn't "really dug into the executive order," before calling data centers "more of a local issue."
Brooks' most recent financial report shows his investments are listed under his wife's name. This was a change; Brooks' first report listed those assets under his own name, but after being questioned by News of the United States (NOTUS) about his large stock portfolio, Brooks made the shift. The NOTUS story featured a breakdown of Brooks' extensive net worth despite his "working class" claims. The most recent report also shows that Brooks' income far exceeds that of his wife, raising the question of how every security could be in her name.
As Townhall has reported in the past, this isn't the first time Brooks has tried to use his wife to cover things up or hide them. Even the NOTUS report omitted info on the judgment against Brooks for stealing from his family. Brooks' primary opponent, Ryan Crosswell, even accused Brooks of falsifying that report in a May 15 Facebook post. In another case, Brooks transferred a property to his current wife, whose name is nearly identical to that of his ex-wife, which led to another lawsuit. Brooks also took an improper double-donation from his wife by recording one of them in her maiden name.
And Brooks not only opposes data centers while investing in them, he opposes congressional stock trading while sitting on a large stock portfolio. Meanwhile, Brooks' opponent, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, has co-sponsored and passed legislation, the Stop Insider Trading Act, which cracks down on the practice. Senate Democrats are holding up the bill, and Brooks has not called on the Democrats to pass it.
Voters in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District deserve an honest, consistent, and transparent representative in the House. Bob Brooks' double standard on data centers, his flip-flopping, and his problematic financial history show he's not that candidate.