Uncategorized

Columbus, Ohio — Vivek Ramaswamy’s September of sadness closed with another terrible week. Ohioans called out Ramaswamy’s scam policies in Youngstown, learned about the more than one million dollars he spent on private jet travel, and heard deeply disturbing comments from a pastor whose church he campaigned at twice. Finally, Ramaswamy’s week wrapped up with another reminder that he is the pro-data center candidate in this race and will do nothing to lower costs.

Million Dollar Jet: Reporting from NBC News revealed Ramaswamy has spent over $1 million on private jet travel to date during his campaign for governor. He has spent 40% of his campaign outside Ohio, including trips to Switzerland, a data center conference in Utah, Turks and Caicos, and France on the Fourth of July.

Pastor Problems: New reporting from The Forward revealed Ramaswamy campaigned twice at a church that sponsored antisemitic protesters outside a Jewish lawmaker’s home and whose pastor called the practice of modern Judaism “fake.” Ramaswamy can’t be trusted to keep Jewish Ohioans safe.

Data Center Doldrums: As out-of-control data centers continue to raise costs for working families across Ohio, Spectrum News highlighted how Vivek Ramaswamy is “showing support for the facilities.” Ramaswamy has millions invested in data centers and has repeatedly praised them as “good” and a “good thing.”

Ramaswamy’s Real Cost: On Wednesday, candidate for lieutenant governor David Pepper joined Ohioans in Youngstown to make sure voters know the real cost of Vivek Ramaswamy’s scam policies. “Every single thing you buy in the state of Ohio is about to get more expensive if Ramaswamy has his way. He even went so far as to say Medicaid and Medicare were ‘mistakes.’ Ohioans will pay the price,” said candidate for lieutenant governor David Pepper.

###

COLUMBUS, OH – As Ohioans call out Ohio Republicans for inviting data centers into their backyards and raising electricity bills for Ohio families, Derek Merrin is refusing to answer for his record of voting to expand tax breaks for data centers. As data centers drive up utility costs for Ohioans in every corner of the state, Derek Merrin’s strategy is to hide from voters’ questions and refuse to take accountability for raising prices for Ohioans. 

“Derek Merrin is running from his record on data centers because he knows he’s responsible for raising utility costs for Ohioans across the state,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Abby Hasselbrink. “Despite his pathetic attempts to dodge Ohioans’ most pressing questions, Derek Merrin can’t hide from his record of voting for tax breaks for data centers and driving up Ohioans’ electricity bills. Ohioans know that Marcy Kaptur is the only person in this race that they can trust to hold data centers and corporate special interests accountable and lower costs for Ohio families.” 

While Marcy Kaptur is running to hold data centers accountable for raising utility bills and stripping Ohio communities of water and power, read more about how Derek Merrin is repeatedly refusing to answer for his record of sending Ohioans’ electricity costs soaring: 

The Toledo Blade: Data centers emerge as campaign issue in races around Ohio

“Former Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin faces Ms. Kaptur in a competitive race. A spokesman for his campaign did not respond to requests for comment regarding what role, if any, the federal government should play in regulating the construction of hyperscale data centers.” 

The Ohio Independent: House candidate Derek Merrin reports capital gains of at least $1,200 on Nvidia stock

“Merrin reported capital gains income between $1,001 and $2,500 from “Nvida” stock options, apparently a typo. Merrin also reported capital gains between $201 and $1,000 on Nvidia Corporation common stock. Merrin’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” 

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio’s 9th Congressional district race: The candidates’ records on data centers 

“Merrin, who served four terms as an Ohio state representative for the Toledo district from 2016 to 2024, did not respond to the Ohio Capital Journal’s questions for this story. Merrin received a $1,000 political donation from the American Electric Power Ohio Committee for Responsible Government in 2021. AEP had received more than $6 million in data center tax breaks in Ohio as of September 2024, according to Policy Matters Ohio. Merrin received a $500 political donation from Windstream Holdings’ PAC in 2022. That same year, Windstream Holdings listed eight ‘key data center locations’ in Ohio.” 

Tiffin Ohio: Derek Merrin voted to widen data center tax breaks, then took cash from companies tied to the boom

“Derek Merrin voted to widen Ohio’s data center tax break in 2017. In the years that followed, the money came back to him from companies collecting it… Merrin did not respond to the Capital Journal’s questions for its Aug. 10 story on the race. A local outlet covering his primary win noted he had not answered a single question or responded to a single inquiry during the campaign.” 

Reuters: Democrats try to ride data center backlash to election victory in rural US Midwest

“In a statement, Kaptur linked data centers to rising utility costs and wider concerns about corporate influence. ‘Politicians are letting these companies pass the costs of their enormous energy and utility demands onto Ohio ratepayers, then handing them billions in tax breaks to sweeten the deal,’ she said. Residential electricity bills in Defiance rose 10% to 15% in June from a year earlier, according to utility FirstEnergy. Merrin did not respond to requests for comment.” 

###

Husted described as the “face of data centers” in Ohio

IRONTON, OHIO — In case you missed it, Ironton City Councilman Jacob Hock and Ohioans facing skyrocketing electric bills rallied against Jon Husted for his record of bringing hundreds of data centers to Ohio while local communities were left with the bill. 

Jon Husted blames Ohioans for data centers, telling listeners in a recent interview that “we are the problem.” While Husted blames families and local communities, Ohio electric bills are now projected to be over $800 for the summer — a massive increase — and Google is building a massive data center in Scioto County.

See For Yourself:

WOWK: Ohioans rally against U.S. Senator Jon Husted’s support of data centers

• On Tuesday, a rally took place in Ironton where residents rallied against U.S. Senator Jon Husted.

• Anne Artis is a Lawrence County resident who said that the energy used by data centers coming to the area is already raising her electric bill.

• “It worries me because I’m on a fixed income. I’m a senior citizen and I have a yeah, I worry. I worry about what’s going to happen to me or how I’m going to have to. My quality of life is going to go down as all these prices rise,” Artis said.

• That’s why she is worried about data centers, like the one being built in Franklin Furnace in Scioto County. 

• It’s also why she attended the rally against Senator Husted, who has been called the “face of data centers” by Sherrod Brown supporters after Husted’s past support for data centers in Ohio.

• Husted supports the “Ratepayer Protection Act,” which he said “would keep America globally competitive while protecting Ohioans and Americans from higher electricity bills”

• But at Tuesday’s rally, residents disagreed.

• “The Ratepayer Protection Act does nothing to require big tech companies to do something about electricity rates and water bills and noise pollution. It makes suggestions to Ohio regulators,” Ironton resident Bob McCollister said.

• Jacob Hock with the Ironton City Council has been working and speaking out for over a year against data centers in southeastern Ohio.

• “People around here are just really tired of being taken advantage of. And, you know, I think that the data center is just the perfect representation of that. Yeah, they’re put here because no one else wants them,” Hock said.

WCHS: Data-center concerns bring ratepayer rally to Ironton

• Democrats rallied in Ironton Tuesday to protest data-center development and its supporters, pointing to concerns about how large projects could affect the power grid and what that could mean for ratepayers.

• “I feel like we’re all in the dark about exactly what’s going on, how it is going to affect us,” said Ironton resident Anne Artis. “The only thing we can look at is people or communities that already have a data center and see what it’s done to their quality of life.”

• The latest project drawing attention is a proposed billion-dollar Google data center in Scioto County, along with a new AEP substation intended to support it.

• Jacob Hock, an Ironton City Council member, said the development has left him uneasy.

• “Every time I look at that development, it’s a pit in my stomach,” Hock said.

• At Tuesday’s rally, Democratic leaders also focused their criticism on U.S. Sen. Jon Husted. While serving as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, Husted promoted the state as a destination for data-center investment, according to speakers at the event.

• “Jon Husted is the face of data centers and wants to rewrite his record with this. I just feel like it’s disingenuous and you know he’s the reason that a lot of them are here,” Hock said.

• Husted now backs the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have state regulators consider rules aimed at making large power users pay for the energy and infrastructure they need.

• McCollister criticized the proposal, saying, “The Ratepayer Protection Act does nothing to require big tech companies to do something about electricity rates and water bills and noise pollution. It makes suggestions to Ohio regulators, in our case the PUCO, to think about doing something. It is a band-aid, a toothless bill and it will not have any effect.”

• Artis said she worries about the impact of any future increases on people already struggling to pay their bills.

• “I’m fearful for people who can’t pay them now. You know? Once something goes up, it rarely comes back down,” she said. “You have to really, really fight for it.”

Ironton Tribune: Group calls out Husted on data centers

• The topic of data centers is one of the major issues in this year’s midterm elections and, on Tuesday, a group gathered at the Rotary Fountain in Ironton to host a rally, at which they took issue with the record of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, on the subject.

• Ironton City Council member Jacob Hock said the state’s leadership had “rolled out the red carpet for the richest companies in the world” to build the facilities in Ohio.

• “And Jon Husted was first in line to take credit,” Hock said of Husted, who the group said, as lieutenant governor, had been key in the effort to give tax abatements to companies building data centers.

• Hock took issue with legislation, The Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed the House in September and is sponsored by Husted, which he said was a “toothless bill” that did not address the issue.

• “He wants us to believe he is going to put limits on data centers,” Hock said.

• Hock said the legislation does not require data centers to stop raising utility costs, but instead only requires state regulators to consider regulations.

• “The best he can offer is a suggestion,” Hock said, calling Husted’s effort, which he noted was supported by Amazon, Google and Microsoft, “disingenuous.”

###

Husted described as the “face of data centers” in Ohio

IRONTON, OHIO — This week, Ironton City Councilman Jacob Hock and Ohioans facing skyrocketing electric bills rallied against Jon Husted for his record of bringing hundreds of data centers to Ohio while local communities were left with the bill. 

Jon Husted blames Ohioans for data centers, telling listeners in a recent interview that “we are the problem.” While Husted blames families and local communities, Ohio electric bills are now projected to be over $800 for the summer — a massive increase — and Google is building a massive data center in Scioto County.

“Ohio families are getting crushed by their electric bills, and I know whose record got us here. Jon Husted rolled out the red carpet for the richest companies in the world, and gave them sweetheart tax deals with fast track tax approvals. This isn’t complicated. Husted can try to rewrite his record now, but Ohioans know who cut those deals, and they’ll remember in November,” said Ironton City Councilman Jacob Hock. 

“Jon Husted led the rush to give tech companies a $2.5 billion tax cut to build data centers by these large corporations. And what did Ohioans get for $2.5 billion in tax cuts? They got skyrocketing energy costs. Every time when people sit down at their kitchen table to pay their electric bill at the end of every month, they have Senator Jon Husted to thank,” said Ironton resident Bob McCollister. 

Read more about how Jon Husted led the charge to bring data centers to Ohio: 

• Jon Husted played such a large role in bringing data centers to Ohio, the editor of Cleveland.com referred to Husted as “the face of data centers.”

• When he was Lt. Governor, Husted led the charge to give billions in out-of-control tax breaks to out-of-state corporations building data centers in Ohio. 

• Because of Husted’s efforts, Ohioans have seen their utility bills skyrocket, with Ohio seeing the second largest utility rate increase in the country over the last year.

• According to the Plain Dealer, Husted was “a data center’s best friend” and “spent years rolling out the red carpet” for these massive corporations to come to Ohio. 

• Husted said in a recent interview that Ohioans need to “look in the mirror” when deciding who to blame for data centers, claiming that “we are the problem.”

• Husted is now scrambling to cover up his record and pretend he cares about protecting families from higher utility bills after he handed out billions in tax breaks to attract data centers to Ohio. 

###

Columbus, Ohio — New reporting by NBC News reveals that out-of-touch billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has spent over $1 million dollars on private jet expenses to date in his race for Ohio governor. Vivek Ramaswamy has notably spent 40% of his campaign traveling on his private jet, including trips to Switzerland, a data center conference in Utah, Turks and Caicos, and France on the Fourth of July. There is no hiding just how out-of-touch billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy is with the issues working Ohioans are facing, with even fellow Republicans calling out his private jet usage as Ohioans struggle to make ends meet.

READ MORE about Ramaswamy’s private jet usage:

• In Ohio’s race for governor, GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has spent over $1 million on private jet expenses, according to an NBC News analysis of campaign finance filings.

• The expenditures by Ramaswamy’s campaign include line items totaling tens of thousands of dollars at a time to companies like V Leasing LLC, Coshocton Air Ltd, TVPX Aircraft Solutions and Citation Management LLC. The disbursements to these companies from the campaign are labeled as “aircraft lease” or “travel” in campaign finance reports from last year and earlier this year.

• Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur, is running against former public health official Amy Acton in the state’s open race for governor. In recent weeks, he’s faced criticism from both sides of the aisle about his affinity for traveling to campaign and fundraising events via private jet.

• “Park the damn jet,” one former county Republican chair in Ohio told NBC News last week about Ramaswamy’s campaign amid concerns that he may appear out of touch to voters struggling with a rising cost of living.

“It should come as no surprise that out-of-touch billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy has spent over $1 million on private jets during his campaign. He continues to treat Ohio like a flyover state, while pushing scam policies and refusing to meet with Ohioans on the ground,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “This new reporting is just another example of just how out-of-touch Ramaswamy is. Ohioans are struggling. He is wrong for this state, and wrong for Ohioans.”

###