RECAP: Jon Husted’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

February 6, 2026

Columbus, Ohio — It’s been a brutal week for Jon Husted, as new reporting and courtroom revelations underscore a troubling pattern of corruption, self dealing, and siding with the rich and powerful at the expense of Ohio families.

First, as the FirstEnergy corruption trial kicked off this week, Jon Husted’s name was mentioned twenty-one times on the very first day of opening arguments, putting him at the center of the largest corruption scandal in Ohio history.

700WLW News Radio: Jon Husted At The Center Of FirstEnergy Corruption Trial

Travis Laird: Ohio’s former Lieutenant Governor is being called the golden boy of the FirstEnergy scandal. […] Jon Husted’s name was dropped 21 times on the first day of the corruption trial in Akron. As prosecutors lay out the racketeering case against former executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling, evidence presented Wednesday labeled Husted as the company’s golden boy.

Laird: Court documents reveal text messages showing constant communication between Husted and the executives during the fight to pass the House Bill 6 bailout. Democrats say the texts prove Husted was fighting to the end for the utility giant, though he is listed as a potential witness for the defense.

Then, new reporting uncovered that Husted has taken nearly $700,000 from insurance companies and executives that are directly raising rates on Ohioans — as families struggle to afford health care:

American Journal News: Husted took hundreds of thousands from insurers now raising Ohio rates

Ohio Sen. Jon Husted has accepted more than $679,000 from insurance companies and their executives over the course of his political career. Many of those companies are now raising rates for struggling Ohioans.

All of the corporations backing Husted are now raising rates on Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) plans in Ohio.

The rate increases come on top of the expiration of enhanced Obamacare tax credits that kept premiums low for 22 million Americans, including 500,000 Ohioans.

On Jan. 13, Husted said he opposed a bipartisan plan to reinstate the credits for three more years.

Finally, it was revealed that Husted opposes a ban on members of Congress trading stocks while actively trading stocks himself in office — raising serious concerns about conflicts of interest:

NBC 4 Columbus: Husted Trades Stocks In Office, Opposes Stock Trading Ban

Colleen Marshall, NBC 4 Columbus: Financial disclosure documents show [Senator Husted] and his wife are invested in dozens of mutual funds and individual stocks, including for her, stock in Intel. As Lieutenant Governor, Husted was a driving force behind the effort to bring the chipmaker to Ohio. So is that the kind of potential conflict [proponents of a stock trading ban are] targeting?

TiffinOhio.net: Jon Husted opposes stock trading ban while actively trading stocks in office

New reporting from NBC 4 Columbus details Sen. Jon Husted’s opposition to a ban on stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses, alongside disclosures showing investments held by his family.

During a segment aired by NBC 4, anchor Colleen Marshall cited federal financial disclosure documents indicating that Husted and his wife are invested in dozens of mutual funds and individual stocks, including stock in Intel Corporation held by his wife.

Marshall noted that, while serving as Ohio lieutenant governor, Husted played a prominent role in efforts to bring Intel’s semiconductor manufacturing project to Ohio, raising questions cited by proponents of a congressional stock trading ban about potential conflicts of interest.

NBC 4 reported that Husted has declined to support such a ban.

Heartland Signal: Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s financial wins mirror his government ties

Financial disclosures show that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) has financially gained from stocks in companies where he likely had close knowledge.

While Husted was serving as Ohio’s lieutenant governor in 2022, he joined the executive board for Heartland Bank.

In the same year, Husted reported over $1,000 in common stock investments in Heartland Bank, according to records of Husted’s 2022, 2023 and 2024 financial disclosure statements provided by the Ohio Ethics Commission via records request.

In 2024, Heartland Bank announced that it would merge into a subsidiary of German American Bancorp, a process that was overseen by the Ohio Department of Commerce.

The Heartland shares jumped by 55% after the merger announcement.

###