OHSen

Husted Called “The Face Of Data Centers” As Electric Bills Skyrocket For Ohioans

COLUMBUS, OH – After Jon Husted cut out-of-control sweetheart tax deals and fast-tracked approvals in an effort to bring data centers to Ohio, CNBC called the state one of the “best positioned to land AI data center deals despite rising public opposition.” 

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.

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

“There is a reason Jon Husted has been called the ‘face of data centers’ in Ohio — he led the charge to give big corporations out-of-control sweetheart tax deals while forcing Ohioans to pay thousands more on their electric bills. Ohioans should get to decide if data centers are built in their community, not Jon Husted and his billionaire friends.” 

Jon Husted fought to bring data centers to Ohio, and families are paying the price:

• 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.”

• Struggling 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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Husted continues dodging basic questions that Ohioans deserve answered

MARIETTA, OHIO — In case you missed it, Ohioans in Marietta called out Senator Jon Husted 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. 

The rally in Marietta comes as Husted continues to dodge questions and accountability after voting against the release of the Epstein files. Recently, Husted ran away from a reporter when asked why he accepted money from an Epstein co-conspirator. 

Ohioans have also protested Husted in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, Westlake, Steubenville, and Lima, and Husted was called out for being a “pedophile protector” at an event in Norwalk. Husted is the only Senator up for re-election to take Wexner’s money, and has taken 10 times as much money from the Epstein co-conspirator than any other sitting Senator.

See For Yourself:

WTAP: Marietta protest targets Ohio Sen. Jon Husted

• WTAP: [Organizers] allege Husted accepted more than $116,000 tied to billionaire Les Wexner. Wexner has been publicly linked to Jeffrey Epstein, and has been described by protesters as an Epstein co-conspirator.

• Geneva Cech, concerned Ohioan: It’s important that our representatives are looking out for our best interest. It’s important that our representatives care for us. And if we have a senator who is willing to accept donations from somebody covering up for a child predator, it’s important that we know this information.

• Cech: And come election time, I hope people can recognize that Jon Husted is not looking out for the everyday Ohioan. He’s looking to support and protect his billionaire donors.

Marietta Times: Picture This: Speakers criticize Husted donations

• The Ohio Democratic Party held what organizers described as a protest Wednesday in Marietta focused on U.S. Sen. Jon Husted’s campaign contributions from Les Wexner, who had worked with Jeffrey Epstein from the late 80’s into the late 2000’s

• Speakers criticized Husted for accepting contributions from Wexner and for his vote on a procedural motion related to the release of Epstein-related files. Several speakers said the issue raised broader concerns about political accountability, transparency and support for survivors of sexual abuse.

• “Survivors have to face the double-edged sword, first the abuse, and then the disbelief,” said Joy Cowdery, a former teacher from Marietta, arguing that elected officials should support the release of information related to Epstein.

• Organizers said Husted has received $116,892 from Wexner over more than 20 years, including a maximum legal contribution last year. The Marietta event was billed by organizers as the seventh Ohio protest on the issue, following events in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, Westlake, Steubenville and Lima.

TiffinOhio.net: Ohioans call out Jon Husted over donations from Epstein ‘co-conspirator’, now in Marietta

• Ohioans in Marietta this week became the latest residents to publicly call out U.S. Sen. Jon Husted over the $116,892 he accepted from billionaire Les Wexner and his 2025 vote on an amendment to release federal records related to Jeffrey Epstein.

• The Marietta gathering follows months of similar events in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, Westlake, Steubenville, Lima and Norwalk. Most of the people stepping to the microphone have been local residents — teachers, city and school-board officials and, in at least one case, a survivor of sexual abuse — who say they want answers about Husted’s judgment.

• Campaign finance records from the Federal Election Commission and the Ohio Secretary of State, reviewed by TiffinOhio.net, show Husted accepted $116,892 from Wexner across 21 contributions between 2001 and 2025. The most recent was a $3,500 maximum donation to his Senate campaign on July 3, 2025. According to those records, Husted is the only senator up for re-election in 2026 who took money from Wexner during the current election cycle.

• About two months after that July contribution, on Sept. 10, 2025, Husted voted against an amendment offered by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that would have directed the attorney general to publicly release documents related to Epstein. The amendment, attached to the annual defense authorization bill, failed on a largely party-line vote of 51–49.

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NBC News: Ohio man who was jailed following accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor resigns from [Husted] Senate campaign

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Bombshell reporting from NBC News has revealed that Andrew Havas, Jon Husted’s campaign chair in Ohio’s largest county, served jail time after committing sexual misconduct with a minor. Jon Husted enlisted Havas as a chair despite his 2009 guilty plea to assaulting a minor being public record.

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

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

“Andrew Havas’ record of sexual misconduct with a minor was public, but Jon Husted had no problem keeping him as a campaign chair until people started asking questions. Even now, Jon Husted continues to proudly tout two other endorsements from allies who have faced disturbing sexual allegations involving minors. Ohioans deserve to know why Husted keeps embracing predators.”

Read more: 

NBC News: Ohio man who was jailed following accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor resigns from GOP Senate campaign

• A man who had once served jail time following accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor resigned this week from his volunteer position as a surrogate for Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted’s re-election campaign.

• Andrew Havas was named a county campaign chair in Franklin County by Husted’s campaign in December, and resigned after NBC News reached out for comment on this story. Havas was one of 112 volunteers appointed to represent the campaign in Ohio’s 88 counties.

• In 2009, Havas pleaded guilty in a case related to an incident involving a 15-year-old in Ohio’s Mahoning County. Havas, who was 22 when the crime occurred, according to court records, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, ordered to pay a fine and ordered to have no contact with the minor at the center of the case.

• The criminal complaint from 2008 accused Havas of “being reckless” with regard to the victim’s age. He was accused of knowing that the minor was older than 13 but younger than 16. Havas was originally charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, according to the criminal complaint. His charges were later reduced to one misdemeanor assault charge, according to a copy of the case file.

• He served his sentence in the Mahoning County jail from May to August 2009, according to records provided by the county sheriff’s office.

• Havas, who also serves as vice chair of the Franklin County GOP executive committee, has at least twice this year appeared at events as a representative of the Husted campaign. One event, on June 12, listed Havas alongside three others as the host of a luncheon supporting Husted in Columbus. Another event, a joint meeting of the Gahanna Republican Club and the New Albany area 1776ers on June 25, listed Havas as a speaker and a “representative for Jon Husted.”

• In December, Havas introduced Husted at a Christmas party, addressing a crowd alongside the senator and shaking his hand before passing him a microphone.

• The previously unreported sexual misconduct case against a member of Husted’s campaign comes as Democrats have sought to highlight donations the candidate received in the past from Les Wexner, an Ohio businessman who had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

• In several TV ads this year, the Brown campaign has criticized Husted for accepting donations from Wexner. The FBI named Wexner, the billionaire former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, as an Epstein co-conspirator in a 2019 file that the Justice Department released this year in response to the law passed by Congress.

• In one of Brown’s ads targeting Husted over the Wexner donations, a narrator tells viewers, “Of all 535 members of Congress, who’s taken the most money from associates of Jeffrey Epstein? Jon Husted, that’s who.”

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REPORTING: Husted Took $116,892 From Les Wexner, Including A Max Donation Just A Few Weeks Before Blocking Epstein Files Release

MARIETTA, OHIO — This week, Ohioans in Marietta called out Senator Jon Husted 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. 

The rally in Marietta comes as Husted continues to dodge questions and accountability after voting against the release of the Epstein files. Recently, Husted ran away from a reporter when asked why he accepted money from an Epstein co-conspirator. 

Ohioans have also protested Husted in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, Westlake, Steubenville, and Lima, and Husted was called out for being a “pedophile protector” at an event in Norwalk. Husted is the only Senator up for re-election to take Wexner’s money, and has taken 10 times as much money from the Epstein co-conspirator than any other sitting Senator.

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Axios: Ohio tops the nation in ACA enrollment drop

COLUMBUS, OHIO — New reporting shows that Ohio has seen the largest drop in Affordable Care Act enrollment of any state in the nation — with more than 160,000 Ohioans losing their coverage. Nearly 1 in 3 Ohioans who previously relied on the Affordable Care Act are no longer enrolled thanks to Jon Husted’s votes. 

Jon Husted voted nine times against lowering Ohioans’ health care premiums. After Husted’s votes, health care costs have spiked for an estimated 583,000 Ohioans, forcing tens of thousands of Ohioans to forgo coverage altogether.

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

“More than 160,000 Ohioans have lost Affordable Care Act coverage thanks to Jon Husted’s votes — the largest decline in coverage of any other state in the country. Jon Husted voted nine times to rip away health care from Ohio families, and in November, they will hold him accountable.” 

Read more about Husted’s Health Care Crisis:

• Jon Husted voted nine times against lowering premiums for Ohio families. Because of Husted’s votes, hundreds of thousands of Ohio families will see their health care costs spike.
  
• Ohio families are seeing their health care costs increase by an average of $804 a year because Jon Husted refused to extend the ACA tax credits.
  
• Instead of coming up with solutions to help lower costs, Jon Husted continues to blame hardworking Ohioans, telling them that they’re “not very experienced at navigating the real world,” and that they must fix their “work ethic” and simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.
  

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