Yellowstone County Commission Candidates Address Data Center Regulation

Voters in Yellowstone County are deciding a three-way race for an open seat on the Board of County Commissioners, where a proposed large-scale data center project near Broadview has emerged as a central campaign issue.

Appointed incumbent Chris White, a Republican and former supermarket manager who joined the commission following the death of Commissioner John Ostlund in 2025, is seeking a full term. White focuses on expanding local energy production to reduce utility costs. Because county commissioners filed a validity lawsuit regarding ballot petitions related to data center regulation, White has refrained from public comment on the Quantica Infrastructure data center project, though he previously accepted a campaign contribution from a participating labor group.

Democratic challenger Danny Choriki, a former Billings City Council member, has called on state lawmakers to repeal the Right to Compute Act to ensure local governments maintain authority over large industrial developments. Independent write-in candidate Hans Abbey, an entrepreneur and political consultant, advocates for an immediate temporary statewide moratorium on new data centers and has proposed local zoning rules to halt development while studying utility and emergency infrastructure demands.