Key facts
- Senator Sherrod Brown is making datacenters a central issue in his campaign for re-election.
- Brown argues datacenters consume land and water and increase electricity prices for local residents.
- He links his Republican opponent, Jon Husted, to the proliferation of datacenters in Ohio.
- Husted served as lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2025, a period during which Ohio offered $2.5 billion in tax breaks for datacenters.
- Polling indicates voters believe Brown would better manage datacenter development than Husted.
- Nearly 140 Ohio communities have implemented moratoriums on new datacenter construction.
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is making the proliferation of datacenters a central theme in his campaign for re-election in Ohio, arguing that these facilities harm local communities by consuming land and water and driving up electricity prices. Brown, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate after losing his bid in 2024, is directly linking his Republican opponent, Jon Husted, to the issue.
Brown contends that Husted, who served as lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2025, is responsible for the state's embrace of datacenters, citing that Ohio provided $2.5 billion in tax breaks for these facilities during that period. "John Husted, I mean, he’s the guy that – he’s talking like he didn’t now – but he’s the reason these datacenters are here – 200 of them," Brown stated.
Husted's campaign has pushed back, with spokesperson Amy Natoce accusing Brown of misrepresenting Husted's role and playing politics with energy costs. Natoce stated that Husted did not have the authority to grant tax breaks while lieutenant governor and highlighted his efforts to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act, which aimed to make datacenters pay for their grid impact. Senate Democrats, however, blocked the bill, which Natoce called "disgusting."
Despite the political back-and-forth, polling suggests Brown's message may be resonating. A New York Times and Siena University poll found that 11 percentage points more voters believed Brown would manage datacenter development better than Husted. The race remains tight, with Brown leading by three percentage points.
The issue of datacenters has become increasingly contentious, with nearly 140 Ohio communities imposing moratoriums on new construction. Governor DeWine himself announced a pause on tax exemptions for these buildings in May. National Republican Senatorial Committee memo identified datacenters as a significant liability for Husted, calling them "the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck."
Brown's strategy appears to be an attempt to appeal to rural voters who may be sensitive to the local impacts of large industrial developments, a demographic that has increasingly favored Republicans.