Former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway has raised more than five times the cash of his opponent in the Washington County District 4 commissioner race.

Callaway collected $132,837 in cash contributions as of Oct. 28, compared with $25,512 for Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair, according to Oregon Secretary of State campaign finance records first reported by the Beaverton Valley Times. The District 4 seat on the Washington County Board of Commissioners governs policy over unincorporated areas that include Bethany.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Neither candidate won a majority in the May primary, sending the race to a runoff, according to the Hillsboro News-Times election guide.

Where the money comes from

The two candidates draw from starkly different donor pools.

Callaway's largest backer is the Washington County Chamber of Commerce PAC, which gave $15,000 in two installments. Plumbers & Steamfitters PAC 221, a trade union, contributed $10,580. The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors Political Action Committee gave $10,000, the Beaverton Valley Times reported.

At the $5,000 level, Callaway received support from the Portland Alliance PAC, affiliated with the Portland Metro Chamber; Hillsboro's Ebenezer Used Cars; and Jeff Swickard, manager of Swickard Management Company. Nine donors gave $2,500 each, including Nike Inc., Columbia Sportswear CEO Timothy Boyle and the Hillsboro Police Officers' Association.

Callaway also received $2,065 in in-kind contributions. He had spent $117,061 as of Oct. 28.

Sinclair's fundraising leans on smaller donors and a political action committee focused on land-use issues. Her largest single contribution was an in-kind donation of $4,277 from Friends of Smart Growth, a PAC focused on livability and conservation in North Plains and Washington County. That money paid for campaign literature and printing. Stoneboat Farm, owned by Friends of North Plains Smart Growth co-founder Aaron Nichols, gave an additional $2,010 in-kind for the same purpose.

Sinclair's top cash donations stayed under $2,000 each. Karel J. Pohl of Kingston, Washington, gave $1,603. The Washington County Democratic Central Committee contributed $1,500. Her total in-kind contributions reached $7,430, and she had spent $23,144 as of Oct. 28.

Data centers loom over the race

The winner will step into a board already grappling with data center policy. On Oct. 27, commissioners voted 3-1 to adopt a resolution opposing large-scale standalone data centers in unincorporated Washington County, according to the Beaverton Valley Times. The resolution directs county departments not to grant easements or sell property to facilitate such development.

That resolution does not establish a formal moratorium or ban data center construction outright. County staff are directed to assess whether future planning documents should include updated rules. The new District 4 commissioner will help shape those decisions.

On her campaign website, Sinclair states she opposes tax breaks for data centers and their expansion onto farmland. Callaway's campaign has emphasized his 35 years of public service in Washington County, including time as a Hillsboro city councilor and mayor.

Washington County Commissioner Jason Snider has endorsed Callaway, according to OPB.

Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Nov. 3. Residents can track drop-box locations through the Washington County elections office.