Ohio Senate Candidates Clash Over Data Center Tax Breaks
With more than a million early votes cast, Sherrod Brown and Jon Husted trade blame on energy costs, the Iran war, and immigration policy.
By Yasmin Nasser ·
The final week of the Ohio Senate race is defined by a dispute over $2.5 billion in tax incentives.
The timeline of the conflict began in 2024 when Sherrod Brown lost re-election. He is now seeking to reclaim the seat from incumbent Republican Jon Husted. In a recent television advertisement, a voiceover labeled Husted as the face of data centers in Ohio. The commercial cites a seven-year estimate from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, which attributes the $2.5 billion figure to combined state and local tax exemptions. The National Republican Senatorial Committee disputed the narrative in a memo, describing the issue as an anchor around Husted's neck.
Husted responded to the attack in August during a press conversation in Massillon. He argued that Brown previously celebrated the arrival of data centers while serving in the Senate. Husted stated that Brown flipped his position like a chameleon. Husted sponsored a bill requiring data centers to pay their own utility costs, but Democratic senators blocked the measure as toothless. The candidates also divided on the war in Iran. Husted voted against a Democrat-backed war powers resolution. He told reporters in Columbus in September that he wanted to ensure Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz or possess a nuclear weapon. Brown countered that Husted voted 14 times against the resolution and other procedural efforts. Brown stated in Chillicothe this month that Democrats must end the war first.
Immigration policy formed the third major point of contention. Husted pointed to Brown's three Senate terms, including the period when President Biden was in office. In Dallas in September, Husted claimed Democrats gave tax dollars to illegal immigrants. That claim references Brown's vote for the American Rescue Plan. The bill provided $1,400 checks to qualified individuals but did not include undocumented immigrants. Brown supported stricter border policies and said in August that he did not support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He argued for deporting violent criminals while adopting policies that work for businesses. In September in Dayton, Brown defended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. He said contributors should not be deported. Husted supported the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for Haitians in July. He noted that around 30% of Haitians believe they have another pathway to stay in the United States. He added that the town of Springfield has new jobs coming for workers who were previously employed there.
The winner of this election will serve the remainder of the term for the seat vacated by JD Vance. Vance was elected to the position in 2022 and would need to run again in 2028 to retain it.
