The Echo Chamber

We sat down with Michigan State Senator and U.S. Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow to talk about her path from designing Hot Wheels to politics—and why Michigan is setting a new standard for how tech and data center growth must serve local communities.Mallory shared the reality of her transition from a career in car design to unseating a Republican incumbent by 4% in her first run. She discussed being motivated to run after seeing national divisiveness impact local Michigan politics, and how she helped flip the State Senate in 2022 to pass what she describes as the strongest clean energy legislation in the Midwest.We asked Mallory about:—Why her plan mandates that new data center facilities meet a 90% renewable energy threshold and utilize local union labor to receive state incentives.—Why current legislation is designed to prevent tech giants from draining municipal water supplies or causing residential energy rates to subsidize industrial growth.—Why she believes Michigan’s blueprint for governing, balancing manufacturing strength with environmental protection of the Great Lakes, is the model Washington needs to actually deliver for people.