Maryland Politics: Data Centers Decide Frederick County Executive Race

The data center boom in western Maryland has reshaped the political calculus for Frederick County, where a 2,600-acre zoning overlay and a pending lawsuit have drawn a once-safe Democratic incumbent into a tight election. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, and the outcome will influence how other Maryland counties manage hyperscale infrastructure development.

Jessica Fitzwater, the current county executive, is running for a second term after winning the 2022 election by fewer than 1,000 votes. Her opponent, Jeff Holtzinger, is a former Frederick city mayor and civil engineer who returned to politics citing rising property taxes and infrastructure strain. Despite Fitzwater holding a substantial financial advantage, the race is closer than initial projections suggested.

Maryland Matters reports that Fitzwater has raised 32 times more money than Holtzinger and spent nearly 40 times as much. However, the county’s electorate is divided, with 39% of registered voters identifying as Democrats, roughly a third as Republicans, and 28% unaffiliated. Kai Hagen, a former county councilmember, told Maryland Matters that without the data center issue, Fitzwater would be securing an easy reelection.

The conflict centers on Adamstown, a community near the Virginia border where the Quantum Frederick campus is being built on the site of a former aluminum smelter. In late 2025, the county council approved an overlay zone for data centers in that specific area while banning them from other industrial districts. Fitzwater argued the move restricted the industry’s footprint, but critics viewed it as an expansion that exposed the county to legal risk.

Quantum Maryland LLC, managed by Catellus Maryland, filed a 67-page complaint in Frederick County Circuit Court in early October. The company claims the executive lacks zoning authority and that the facility moratoriums were driven by election politics rather than policy. The suit seeks to overturn the pause and recover damages. Fitzwater responded on her campaign Facebook page, calling the lawsuit rife with factual errors and outright lies.

A recent poll from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Institute of Politics found that nearly 8 in 10 Maryland voters oppose building data centers. This public sentiment has complicated the campaign, with a super PAC called United Frederick spending more than $400,000 on ads linking Holtzinger to President Donald Trump and immigration enforcement. Holtzinger argues these ads distract from local issues like water supply and road capacity.

Early voting ended on October 29, and polls will remain open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day. The Quantum Maryland lawsuit will continue regardless of the winner. The next county executive will inherit the current moratorium, which is set to run through July 1, 2027, along with the ongoing zoning disputes.