As Oregon’s governor’s race tightens, the rapid growth of data centers has become a campaign issue — and both major-party candidates say they support a pause on new facilities. Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan have each called for a moratorium, while accusing the other of previously siding with the industry. Recent polls put the candidates within two percentage points of each other, with different surveys showing each one narrowly ahead. Public opinion appears to be shifting, too. Nearly two-thirds of likely Oregon voters surveyed by DHM Research for OPB supported a temporary data center ban, and more than 70% said they opposed a facility being built near their home. The survey’s findings arrive as Amazon and other companies expand in Eastern Oregon, where residents and officials are debating the effects on power, water, farmland and local communities. Amazon has four data centers in Morrow County and local approval for 10 more, according to the reporting. Its operations extend into neighboring Umatilla County. Amazon says its Eastern Oregon facilities employ more than 2,500 people and that the company has paid over $70 million in taxes to the two counties, despite benefiting from state tax incentives. The company is also working to improve its standing. Amazon pledged $1 billion for communities nationwide that host its data centers and said it would stop asking public officials to sign nondisclosure agreements about projects. Amazon Web Services executive Roger Wehner said the agreements were intended to protect business plans, not conceal information, but acknowledged they could create a negative impression. Wehner argued that data center development has brought economic gains to Eastern Oregon and said governments should work with companies to resolve concerns rather than impose bans. Amazon has also backed industry messaging through Oregon Connects, a group founded by the national Data Center Coalition, whose members include Amazon, Google and Meta. Environmental and energy questions remain central to the debate. A report by ECOnorthwest and the University of Virginia found that data centers account for nearly a quarter of Oregon’s retail electricity sales, with consumption expected to rise. Morrow County farmer Barrett Dash has also raised concerns about competition for water and the loss of public input when development discussions happen behind closed doors. Dash supports an Oregon Rural Action petition seeking a moratorium in Eastern Oregon. The group hopes to gather 1,000 signatures to press local officials to act. Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran, by contrast, defended the county’s relationship with Amazon and questioned the grounds for a local ban. Amazon has also contributed to Oregon political figures and groups. State records show $65,000 in company contributions to legislators, statewide officials and political organizations since September 2024, including $2,000 to Drazan last December. Amazon has given $40,000 over three years to the Sustainable Agriculture and Energy Political Action Committee, which is controlled by three large Eastern Oregon farms. The PAC has contributed to both candidates; Kotek’s contribution came in 2020, before Amazon began donating to the committee. The candidates’ new positions contrast with earlier political fights over data center policy. Drazan criticized Kotek’s use of state tax incentives in a campaign ad, while Kotek pointed to Drazan’s vote against the 2025 POWER Act, which required some operations to pay more for electricity. Drazan called the measure a “gimmick” during a debate. For Port of Morrow Commissioner Kelly Doherty, the issue has become personal. Elected in 2023, she says data center development was not a focus when she first ran, but she now opposes the industry and wants permanent bans in areas facing water-quality or supply problems. She said land around Boardman has been marketed for data center development and that her family was approached about selling its ranch. Doherty is skeptical that either gubernatorial candidate will follow through on a moratorium. Her doubts underscore the challenge facing both campaigns: voters are demanding limits even as data center companies promise jobs, investment and economic growth in rural communities.