The outcome of three state Senate seats on the ballot in Northeast Pennsylvania in Tuesday’s election — two held by Republicans and one by a Democrat — could help determine the balance of power in Harrisburg.
The races are state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, facing Republican Sharon Soltis Sparano of La Plume Twp.; state Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-40, Middle Smithfield Twp., challenged by Democrat Brian Wrightson of Archbald; and Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., against Democrat Jackie Baker of Liberty Twp.
Republicans hold a four-seat majority in the state Senate and have controlled the upper chamber for decades. Democrats hope to flip the Senate in this cycle that has even-numbered districts on the ballot.
The issue of data centers has resonated in campaigns throughout the region.
Moratorium and more
Among the three NEPA districts, the 40th — which includes all of Monroe County and parts Lackawanna and Wayne counties — is the Senate district with the most parity between the two major parties in terms of voter registrations. The district has 74,746 registered Democrats and 72,316 registered Republicans, for a modest Democratic advantage of 2,430.
The 40th has emerged as a prime target for data center development, including large-scale campuses proposed in Lackawanna County’s Midvalley, Upvalley and North Pocono areas.
Brown unveiled a four-piece “Residents First” legislative package in February that would limit large-scale campuses to industrial areas while requiring more information on projects before a developer can apply in a municipality. She co-sponsored a bill from state Sen. Katie Muth, D-44, calling for a three-year moratorium on data centers. The bill remains pending.
Wrightson, who supports “a complete stop on new large-scale data center development in NEPA,” calls Brown’s stance “performative” and claims that she was for data centers before taking a harder line. He cites a state Senate Majority Policy Committee hearing chaired by Brown in August 2025 at Valley View High School on data centers, and a Times-Tribune article that reported a panel of experts largely touted the benefits of the rapidly growing, artificial intelligence-fueled industry rushing to build sprawling facilities throughout Northeast Pennsylvania. Wrightson’s campaign website declares that Brown “got it wrong from the start.”
“Come August of 2025, she is gung-ho, (saying) this is why they’re going to be good,” Wrightson said of that hearing. “She was all for data centers (in) August 2025. She had six full good months before she decided for performative reasons to come out and say I want a moratorium.”
Saying her concerns are sincere, Brown said she started asking 18-24 months ago about data centers and their impacts, and started trying to educate herself, other local officials and constituents about the issue. That resulted in her advocating for more state and local controls, such as a moratorium, industrial-only locations, water protections and a study on whether data-center storage might evolve, “so that we know what we’re doing now is not going to be something that’s going to be outdated within three years or five years. I want this done right,” Brown said.
Battle of the Bakers rematch
In the 20th Senate District spanning parts of Luzerne and Wayne and all of Pike, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, five-term GOP incumbent Lisa Baker seeks a sixth term against Democratic challenger Jackie Baker, whom Lisa Baker comfortably defeated in the 2022 general election.
Republicans maintain a significant registration advantage in the district, outnumbering Democrats by 37,831 registered potential voters.
Lisa Baker has spent her career working in state government, which she says makes her the most qualified to be state senator. She served as a deputy chief of staff to Republican governors Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker, chief of staff to her predecessor Sen. Charles Lemmond, and as a research analyst to Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Jubelirer.
As senator, Lisa Baker said she has sponsored more than 100 bills that have been signed into law and was named one of Pennsylvania’s most effective state legislators by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Jackie Baker served two-terms as a Democratic state committee member in Susquehanna County. She argues she’s not a “career politician” like Lisa Baker and her more than 20 years of experience as a teacher gives her the diversified skills to be an effective senator.
When it comes to data centers, people have legitimate concerns and are frustrated by a lack of transparency, Lisa Baker said. She voted to prohibit nondisclosure agreements for government officials, and opposes legislation that seeks to strip local control of land use decisions.
“While development is best handled at the local level, we need to ensure communities have the power to fight against unwanted projects, that environmental protections are clearly spelled out, and contributions to the community are commensurate with the imposed costs, including requiring developers to provide their own water and energy.”
If a bill to hit the pause button on data centers advances, she said she would support it.
The budget Senate Republicans approved sought to repeal the sales tax exemption for data center facilities, but House Democrats didn’t support it, she said.
Giant, multibillion-dollar tech conglomerates see Pennsylvania not as a partner, but as a resource to be harvested, Jackie Baker said. She calls for a statewide stoppage on all new data center development.
“They want to build massive, energy-guzzling, water-devouring, noisy data centers right in our backyards,” she said.
As a member of the state Senate, she said she would make Pennsylvanians her priority, ahead of big tech. She wants to protect ratepayers, empower local governments and mandate environmental audits.
“Our peace of mind, our financial stability, and our beautiful communities are not for sale to the highest bidder in Silicon Valley. I will fight to make sure our laws protect our homes, our wallets, and our kids’ future,” she said.
Data centers debated
In the 22nd District encompassing parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 31,399.
Flynn, a former state representative for the 113th House District, has represented the 22nd Senate District since winning a special election for the seat in 2021. He did not face a primary challenger in 2022 and won a full four-year term that November by defeating Republican Tom Bassett of Pittston with more than 60% of the vote.
At a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Wilkes-Barre Area at Wilkes University earlier this month, Flynn noted he had co-sponsored a bill supporting data center development but removed his support once he learned the bill would take away local control. He opposes any sort of tax rebates for data centers and says they should pay for their own power generation.
At the same debate, Soltis Sparano, a retired pharmacist, described data centers as invading “monstrosities” and said they are the reason she’s running to unseat Flynn. She believes he’s doing a “stand-down” on data centers and not doing enough to stop them.
Unaffiliated voters comprise large segments of electorate
Along with registered Democrats and Republicans in the three local Senate districts, the voter pool for the general election includes tens of thousands of other registered potential voters who aren’t affiliated with either major party. Unaffiliated individuals account for just over 19% in the 40th District, nearly 17% of total registrations in the 20th, and almost 15% in the 22nd.
All state House races also on ballot
Democrats seized majority control of the state House of Representatives in 2022 after more than a decade in the minority, and held their narrow majority in the lower chamber in 2024. It currently stands at three seats, with all 203 seats statewide up for election Nov. 3.
This story was updated Wednesday, Oct. 28, to include the race in the 20th Senate District, which spans parts of Luzerne and Wayne and all of Pike, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties.
Jeff Horvath, staff writer, contributed to this article.