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Husted was called “The Face Of Data Centers” and led the charge to hand out billions in tax breaks

COLUMBUS, OHIO — New reporting from the Plain Dealer perfectly sums up Jon Husted’s bill on data centers — after years of leading the charge to bring a record number of these “power-hungry” facilities to Ohio, Husted is now pretending he cares about protecting families from higher electricity bills.

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. Now, three months away from an election, Husted is “suddenly positioning himself as the guy who’s going to rein them in.”

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Husted is shamelessly running away from his record of jacking up Ohioans’ utility rates and selling out Ohio to out of state corporations building data centers in the state. It won’t work because Ohioans know the truth, and they will hold him accountable in November.” 

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.

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NBC 4 Columbus: Data centers cause Ohio’s energy demand to surpass supply

COLUMBUS, OHIO — New reporting from NBC 4 Columbus shows that the massive data center boom in Ohio, spearheaded by Jon Husted, has caused energy demand to outpace supply, sending utility rates skyrocketing for Ohio families.

Jon Husted, who has been called “the face of data centers” in Ohio, led the charge to bring a record number of facilities to the state, helping cut sweetheart tax deals and fast track approvals for corporations to build massive data centers. CNBC even called Ohio one of the “best positioned to land AI data center deals despite rising public opposition.” 

Thanks to Husted’s push to hand billions in tax breaks to attract data centers to Ohio, utility bills are skyrocketing for families — with Ohio seeing the second largest utility rate increase in the country over the last year.

Read more: 

NBC 4 Columbus: Data centers cause Ohio’s energy demand to surpass supply

• For the second year in a row, the organization that supplies Ohio with electricity was unable to meet its full capacity target.

• PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that includes Ohio and 12 other states, said the capacity of resources procured at last week’s auction is short of their reliability requirement.

• PJM is facing a shortfall of about 6.8 gigawatts — the same amount of electricity it would take to power about 4 million homes. 

• It also signals to state lawmakers and consumer watchdogs that Ohioans’ electric bills are going to continue to get even higher. 

• State Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) called the PJM auction results “the worst-case scenario.” 

• “We’ve got data centers entering the market quicker than we can get generation to enter,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, it means prices are probably going to go up and reliability is going to go down.” 

• PJM has also cited data centers as the primary driver of the overwhelming growth in energy demand.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS: US gas prices hit an average of $4 a gallon again as the US and Iran launch attacks

Prices have skyrocketed in Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Gas prices have spiked again in Ohio due to the endless war in Iran that has claimed the lives of three more U.S. service members since Friday. Yet Jon Husted continues to support the reckless war that has put further strain on families already struggling to afford groceries, utilities, health care, and other everyday expenses. Nationally, gas prices reached an average of $4 a gallon after continued attacks in Iran. 

• Meanwhile, Jon Husted has voted eleven times to support the endless war in Iran that has sent costs skyrocketing. 

• Husted claimed earlier this month that the military operation “went very well” while admitting the war he supported “has put a strain on Americans.”

• When asked recently if he was okay with not knowing how long the war will last or how much taxpayer dollars will be spent, Husted replied, “it’s not really up to us.”

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Jon Husted has voted eleven times to support another endless conflict in the Middle East while admitting it’s hurting Ohioans — yet he keeps doubling down instead of working to lower costs at home. Gas prices are surging again thanks to the Husted-backed war in Iran, and Ohio families are once again being forced to pay the price.”

While Husted keeps voting to make everything more expensive, he also can’t help himself from insulting hardworking Ohioans struggling because of his votes:

• When asked what he was doing to address rising gas prices for his constituents, Husted responded: “What do you want me to do?” 

• When a truck driver asked about soaring diesel costs, Husted brushed him off and responded by asking if he was comfortable with Iran being a nuclear power. 

• When asked about the pain that Ohio families are feeling at the pump, Jon Husted’s campaign “declined to comment.”

• Jon Husted has claimed that he thinks the war is “good news for the global economy” and going “much better than anyone thought it would.”

• Husted argued that Ohioans getting crushed with skyrocketing prices just have to “remain strong,” as gas in Ohio “remains astronomically high.”

• Jon Husted continues to insult struggling Ohioans as “not very experienced at navigating the real world” and consistently dismisses the mounting affordability crisis by telling Ohioans to fix their “work ethic” and to simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.

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Husted was called “The Face Of Data Centers” and led the charge to hand out billions in tax breaks

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Now that Ohioans are learning that Jon Husted led the charge to bring a record number of data centers to Ohio, he is scrambling to cover up his record and pretend he cares about protecting families from higher utility bills. 

Husted helped cut out-of-control sweetheart tax deals and fast track approvals for corporations to build massive data centers in Ohio. CNBC even called Ohio one of the “best positioned to land AI data center deals despite rising public opposition.” 

Thanks to Husted’s push to hand billions in tax breaks to attract data centers to Ohio, utility bills are skyrocketing for families — with Ohio seeing the second largest utility rate increase in the country over the last year.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Jon Husted can’t erase the fact that he is responsible for jacking up Ohioans’ utility rates — he led the charge to hand billions in tax breaks to out of state corporations building data centers in Ohio. Husted can try to cover up his record all he wants but Ohioans know the truth, and they will hold him accountable in November.” 

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Husted Campaign Chair and Mahoning County Native Forced to Resign in Disgrace

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — Today, Youngstown City Councilmembers Anita Davis and Mike Ray, and Ohio State Senate candidate Michael Kripchak, called out Jon Husted after it was revealed that Andrew Havas, a Mahoning County native and Husted campaign chair, served jail time after committing sexual misconduct with a minor.

The revelation is the latest in a disturbing pattern around Jon Husted’s top endorsers:

• Jon Husted enlisted Havas as a chair despite his 2009 guilty plea to assaulting a minor being public record.

• Jon Husted is still proudly touting the endorsement of State Representative Rodney Creech, who has been accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor relative, while his current Sandusky County campaign chair also came under fire for talking to young girls about their sex lives.

• Jon Husted has also been under fire for taking more than $116,000 directly from Epstein co-conspirator Les Wexner, including a maximum donation just a few weeks before he voted to block the release of the Epstein files.

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