Sherrod Brown rallies voters in Fremont, criticizes Husted on tariffs, data centers
Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown criticized his opponent, Jon Husted, over data center developments in Ohio, citing concerns about taxpayer funding, land and water consumption, and rising electric bills. Brown advocated for local community input on data center construction. Husted's campaign defended his record, highlighting legislation he supported that would require data centers to pay for their own power, which was passed by the House but blocked by Senate Democrats.
Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, rallied supporters in Fremont, Ohio, where he launched criticism against his Republican opponent, Jon Husted, particularly regarding data center development across the state. Brown accused Husted of being the "point guy" for the data center industry, alleging that Husted facilitated $2.5 billion in taxpayer funding for these centers, which he claims "swallow up the land" and "gulp up the water," leading to increased electric bills.
Brown emphasized that local communities should have a voice in where data centers are built. In response, the Husted campaign defended their candidate, pointing to bipartisan legislation Husted backed that aimed to make data centers financially responsible for their power consumption. They stated that this legislation passed the House but was subsequently blocked by Senate Democrats, accusing Brown and his allies of prioritizing politics over a common-sense solution to higher electric bills for Ohio families. The campaign also cited a 2015 statement where Brown welcomed an Amazon data center to New Albany.