Data Centers Take Center Stage in Ohio Senate Race

Will the data center issue decide the Ohio U.S. Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen Jon Husted ? Ten years ago, data centers were no big deal. It was kind of cool to see when Amazon and Google chose Central Ohio for a new facility. Then Senator Sherrod Brown welcomed them. Now, not so much. Brown has come out hard against data centers and labled his opponent Senator Jon Husted the face of data centers. The National Republican Senatorial Committee warns data centers could decide the race. A memo first obtained by Axios reads: “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. Brown is using it because it works. More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck. If he loses and datacenters get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice — and they will not go near the next one.” We also will look at if Husted and Brown will debate in the U.S. Senate Race or in the Ohio governor’s race between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton. Columbus will have a contested mayor’s race in 2027. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin announced this week he will challenge Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, who is seeking a fourth term in office. This week there are reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers detaining Haitian immigrants in Springfield. The Haitian Support Center says 17 people have been detained in the city, which is home to more than 12,000 Haitian migrants. Springfield’s mayor says Immigration Customs Enforcement officers are active in the city. ICE declined to confirm any detentions. Legal temporary protective status for Haitians in ended at the end of July. To discuss all of these topics, is this week’s panel: Mike Thompson, host of WOSU’s Columbus on the Record and Snollygoster Sarah Donaldson, a reporter with Ohio Public Radio Maria Bruno of Ohioans Against Extremism Terry Casey, Republican strategist Support WOSU We can't do this without your support! Help keep WOSU Public Media strong by donating here: https://wosu.pm/WOSU-Support Connect With WOSU News Subscribe to the WOSU News YouTube channel:    / @wosunews   Listen to the Snollygoster podcast:    • Snollygoster   Subscribe to our WOSU News Daily newsletter at https://www.wosu.org/newsletters Follow us on Facebook:   / wosupublicmedia   Follow us on Instagram:   / wosupubmedia   Follow us on Reddit:   / wosupublicmedia   Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/@wosupublicm... Visit our website: https://www.wosu.org/news Thumbnail Image: Images of U.S. Senate candidates Sen. Jon Husted, left, and challenger Sherrod Brown, right, in front of a large data center complex. The text reads, "Data Centers Loom Large in Senate Race." The setting includes a vast building with an industrial design. Images from the Associated Press and Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau.