GOP Warns Data Center Backlash Could Cost Ohio Senate Seat
A Republican campaign memo says opposition to AI data centers has become the defining issue in Sen. Jon Husted's tight race against Sherrod Brown.
Senate Republicans are warning that public backlash against data centers could cost the party a critical Senate seat in Ohio this November.
In a memo obtained by ABC News, the National Republican Senatorial Committee told artificial intelligence companies operating in Ohio that private polling shows Sen. Jon Husted and Democratic challenger and former Sen. Sherrod Brown are locked in a "dead heat." The memo says data centers are playing an outsized role in that contest.
"Ohio is one of the leaders in building these AI factories. Brown has made his opposition to them the centerpiece of his campaign against Husted," the memo reads. "More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted's neck."
Brown has argued that Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor, was responsible for bringing data centers to the state and has tied him to tax breaks issued under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's administration. DeWine paused new tax exemptions for data centers in May. Husted has since introduced Senate legislation requiring states to set standards ensuring data centers pay for their own power generation rather than passing infrastructure costs to consumers.
Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Tony Wen said Ohioans "will hold [Husted] accountable" for rising utility bills.
Ohio has more than 200 data centers, the fifth-most of any state, according to the Ohio Consumers' Counsel. The facilities require large amounts of land, water and energy, and can strain local power grids while employing relatively few permanent workers.
A Gallup poll conducted this spring found 71% of Americans oppose construction of AI data centers in their area, citing concerns over quality of life, pollution, water use and electricity costs.
Speaking at a White House cryptocurrency event Wednesday, President Donald Trump defended data centers, saying local leaders should welcome them despite needing "a little public relations help." "The jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous," he said.
The issue extends beyond Ohio. Democratic governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania have signed orders limiting some data center development. In Wisconsin, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany has attacked Democrat David Crowley over data center comments, while in Texas, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa has made the issue central to her challenge against Gov. Greg Abbott, who has ordered an audit of data centers' impact on utility prices.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
