Progressives Dominate In Washington County Elections

Progressive Democrats in Washington County won big in the 2026 midterm elections, as a slate of left-wing candidates were elected to state and local offices.

The group found success in an election that saw a nationwide push to the political left, largely in opposition to the Trump administration. Some candidates had little, if any, previous government experience and billed themselves as working-class activists pushing back against data centers and powerful corporate interests.

Many ran against candidates backed by politically influential groups — like chambers of commerce and public safety unions — but received ample support from labor unions and other progressive groups that power today’s Democratic politics.

The Washington County Democrats endorsed 17 candidates this election, many of whom ran on this progressive platform, including those who align themselves with the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA. Fifteen have won and another is currently leading their race as of Thursday.

The nonpartisan county commission, where just six years ago Republicans held a majority, will be without a single Republican commissioner for the first time in decades — at least.

Karim Delgado, one of three progressive candidates elected to the Hillsboro City Council, said his coalition’s success signifies that voters want change.

“Our slate is prepared to deliver that change,” Delgado said. “The people of Hillsboro have spoken. They recognize that their government does not support them, but instead supports corporate interests for some of the richest companies in the world.”

One critical contest remains too close to call. In the race for county chair, Nafisa Fai is beating her fellow Washington County Commissioner Pam Treece by 363 votes, according to the latest results. She took the lead on Tuesday after initial results on election night put Treece ahead by 3 percentage points. She would be the first person who is Black and Muslim to lead the county.

In another race for a county commission seat, Kipperlyn Sinclair, a Hillsboro city councilor who ran a campaign critical of data centers, defeated Steve Callaway, the former mayor of Hillsboro who was on council when the program granting generous tax breaks for data centers was renewed.

And in Hillsboro, Delgado and two other progressives who called themselves “seeds of change” secured decisive victories. In addition, two Democratic Socialists, Tammy Carpenter and Myrna Muñoz, easily won seats in the Oregon Legislature that were long occupied by moderate Democrats.

“I feel like the people who won this time genuinely believe in that progressive platform,” said Martita Meier, the chair of the Washington County Democrats.

Critics — fellow Democrats among them — question whether this crop of electeds will be good policymakers. Some have voiced concerns they could push away unaffiliated voters, the region’s largest electorate.

Dan Mason, a national committeeman for the Oregon Republican Party who has worked extensively in Washington County politics, criticized the candidates’ messaging as pandering to a nationwide backlash to data centers without substantive solutions.

“It’s gonna be amateur hour at all levels of local government,” Mason said. He said he’s concerned their proposals could be damaging to the region’s economy, pushing away industries that fuel the tax base.

“And if that’s happening in the economic engine of Oregon, we’re probably in for a wild ride,” Mason said.

Supporters believe this contingent of voices is necessary to bring about new ideas to shake up the Democratic majority, which has struggled to make headway on major issues like housing, the economy and immigration. Some have called for steep taxes on corporations and the wealthy, free universal healthcare and abolishing immigration enforcement.

Many candidates pledged to oust establishment politicians that they say have hindered the party’s progress. Muñoz, the DSA senator-elect, unseated a longtime lawmaker, former state Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, in the May primary.

The election represents a further shift to the left in Washington County, the state’s economic engine and home to Nike, Intel and the “Silicon Forest.” The county was once politically moderate, and led by Republicans for long before that. But in recent years, voters have backed a number of progressive leaders for elected office.

Justin Stark, outgoing co-chair of the Tualatin Valley branch of the DSA, said the latest election results indicate the group may be growing its foothold in Washington County.

“I think the more left-leaning people end up in government, the more opportunities that we have to work in coalition with people within the state, which can generate some pretty good outcomes,” Stark said.

As the state’s most racially diverse county, Washington County became ground zero for last year’s immigration crackdown. That crackdown spurred discontent among many voters and prompted some to run for office with a promise to push back against the federal government’s tactics.

But much of the candidates’ campaigns this election centered on economic forces. Business-minded Washington County leaders have long held the door open for industry with the hope of reaping an economic benefit. That paved the way for 29 data centers in the county, the highest concentration in Oregon.

That tide shifted in the runup to the midterms. Voters filled public meetings, voicing outrage over the data center industry’s outsized wealth and the encroachment of artificial intelligence. In response, candidates promised to take tougher stances against the industry and criticized previous leaders for allowing data centers to gobble too much of the region’s resources.

It’s unclear precisely what guardrails the new leaders might propose, but it seems likely that the results could usher in a major change to regional industry. Meanwhile, just days after the election, Gov. Tina Kotek said she would call upon Oregon Democrats to piece together legislation with new rules for data centers within the first 60 days of the upcoming legislative session.