Oregon state senator unseated in primary election amid data center debate
State Sen. Janeen Sollman lost her re-election bid in Hillsboro, Oregon, in a primary race that became a referendum on data center expansion. Her challenger, Myrna Muñoz, successfully campaigned on opposing data centers and ending their tax breaks. The outcome is interpreted by some as a leftward political shift and by others as retribution for Sollman's votes against labor interests and her perceived stance on data center development.
State Sen. Janeen Sollman, a Democratic incumbent, was unexpectedly defeated in her re-election bid for a Hillsboro Senate seat in Oregon's primary election. The race ultimately became a referendum on data center development in the region, with challenger Myrna Muñoz, a state employee and democratic socialist, making opposition to data centers a central tenet of her campaign.
Muñoz was backed by a coalition of left-wing groups, including the Working Families Party, Democratic Socialists of America, and several public sector unions like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Oregon Education Association (OEA). These groups mobilized volunteers and contributed significant funds, criticizing Sollman for perceived alignment with corporations, her vote against a bill allowing striking public employees unemployment pay, and her unsuccessful legislative effort (Senate Bill 1586) to open hundreds of acres of farmland near Hillsboro for industrial development, which opponents believed would facilitate more data centers. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters also viewed Sollman as an impediment to progress on clean energy.
Sollman, who had served as a school board member and state representative before joining the Senate, defended her record, arguing her proposal would have prevented "stand-alone" data centers and that she had listened to community opposition regarding expansion. She attributed her loss primarily to her vote against the strike pay bill. Political analysts and fellow Democratic lawmakers offered differing interpretations, with some seeing the outcome as a broader leftward shift in Oregon politics and others as a pointed display of political retribution against Sollman for crossing powerful interest groups.
Despite being outspent, Muñoz successfully leveraged the growing national backlash against data centers, portraying Sollman as supportive of massive, energy-intensive facilities that offer few jobs but receive lucrative property tax breaks. Muñoz now advances to the general election, facing Republican Harold Hutchison, in a district considered safe for Democrats.