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Home – Ohio Politics & News – How Will Data Centers Affect Ohio’s Elections?

How Will Data Centers Affect Ohio’s Elections?

It’s a critical election year, and candidates running for Senate and governor in Ohio are becoming increasingly aware that the issue of data centers could play a key role in the outcome of the election.

On Wednesday, Axios reported on a private memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee to artificial intelligence companies—it was titled “Ohio Data Center Risk.” The memo, dated Aug. 18, begins by saying the race between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat challenger Sherrod Brown is a “dead heat.” But it goes on to say: “The new ingredient (and the new problem) is data centers.”

The Buckeye State is ranked sixth in data centers, with more than 200 facilities in operation and potentially 80 new ones on the way by 2030. The rapid expansion of the high-tech factories has caused many local residents to worry about their impact on land, energy, water, and other vital resources.

“Brown has made his opposition to them the centerpiece of his campaign against Husted. Brown is using it because it works,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee states in the memo, adding that such messaging “has become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle.”

Indeed, the Brown campaign has featured Husted and AI in recent TV ads, as the National Republican Senatorial Committee memo notes. Cleveland.com reporting from March referred to Husted as “the face of data centers.”

#OHPol: "He's been called the face of data centers in Ohio. Why? Because Jon Husted spent years aggressively recruiting data centers to the state"Sherrod Brown is up with a new #OHSen ad. Since 2018, Brown's campaign has spent $116.7M across his Senate campaigns. pic.twitter.com/6zFm3HU6tsTRENDING ARTICLES news McKinney Mosque Vote Sparks Recall Effort Targeting Mayor, 3 Council Members Emily Medeiros opinion Victor Davis Hanson: Tucker Carlson Is Playing a Dangerous Game Victor Davis Hanson news 83 Colleges and 26 Schools Act as a Pipeline for China’s Regime: Report Pedro Rodriguez — AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact_Pol) July 7, 2026

#OHPol: "He's been called the face of data centers in Ohio. Why? Because Jon Husted spent years aggressively recruiting data centers to the state"Sherrod Brown is up with a new #OHSen ad. Since 2018, Brown's campaign has spent $116.7M across his Senate campaigns. pic.twitter.com/6zFm3HU6ts

McKinney Mosque Vote Sparks Recall Effort Targeting Mayor, 3 Council........

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