Utah Senate President Adams Loses Primary Amid Data Center Controversy

Utah's Senate President, Stuart Adams, a prominent political figure, lost his Republican primary election on Tuesday, with his support for a large data center project in Box Elder County cited as a major factor in the voter backlash.

Adams, the longest-serving president of the state Senate, was defeated by challenger Stephanie Hollist, a former university lawyer and vocal opponent of the proposed Stratos data center. Hollist accused Adams and the state's political establishment of disregarding public concerns about the development, which critics feared could lead to significant environmental damage, including straining water supplies near the Great Salt Lake and consuming excessive electricity.

Two county commissioners, Boyd Bingham and Lee Perry, who had voted in favor of the data center's initial plans, also lost their respective primary elections. Perry acknowledged that the data center vote likely contributed to his loss, stating he would not have voted differently but would have pushed back harder against state-imposed decisions.

The Stratos project, backed by investor Kevin O’Leary, is intended to be one of the world's largest artificial intelligence data centers. Developers have countered the opposition by highlighting the potential for job creation and millions in tax revenue. Despite Adams' efforts to distance himself from the project by calling for a reduction in its proposed 40,000-acre size in the final weeks of his campaign, the backlash proved too strong, marking the first time a sitting Utah Senate president has lost a primary election in modern history.