Republican, U.S. Senator from Ohio
Now: U.S. Senator since 2025 verified October 12, 2026 · source (opens in a new tab)
On your ballot U.S. Senate, Ohio, In office (Franklin County Board of Elections' list (opens in a new tab), verified October 15, 2026)
Photo: United States Senate, public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), cropped.
Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections
Of 14 statements on the record, 2 were for data centers, 5 raised concerns about data centers and 7 carry no label.
Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.
Position History: Chronological record of positions across sourced statements.
- · Raises concern · WFIN
- · Raises concern · vox.com
Position note: Reflects a shift from earlier statements praising data center economic development in Ohio toward sponsoring the federal Ratepayer Protection Act in July 2026 to prevent residential utility cost increases.
- · Raises concern · wowo.com
- · Raises concern · KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM
- · Supports · politifact.com
- · Supports · politifact.com
- · Mixed · Quartz / CNN
- · Raises concern · newsweek.com
What they said
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Jon Husted, U.S. Senator, supports data center development and the Ratepayer Protection Act to regulate developers
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: October 1, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Newsweek (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words are not clearly the speaker's own. The two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source held it.
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Senator Jon Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act on July 16, 2026, to require states and Public Utility Commissions to establish standards ensuring large electricity users such as data centers pay for their own power generation, transmission lines and other infrastructure needed to serve their facilities.
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 30, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Forth.News (opens in a new tab), primary source
Archived copy: Wayback Machine (opens in a new tab).
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Jon Husted, as Ohio's lieutenant governor, championed data center construction and provided tax breaks to operators for years before now calling for regulations on who pays for electricity and infrastructure costs tied to data centers.
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 30, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Talking Points Memo (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words are not clearly the speaker's own. The two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source held it.
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"This bill is the only game in town."
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Direct verbatim quote from source. Counterpoints: Spoken ahead of the September 30, 2026 Senate procedural vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act, which cleared the U.S. House 417 to 3 and directed state utility regulators to consider standards requiring data centers to cover incremental grid costs, before falling short of the 60 vote Senate cloture threshold in a 57 to 43 vote.
Where & When: U.S. Senate · September 30, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Quartz / CNN (opens in a new tab), national outlet
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The Ratepayer Protection Act would require states to consider adopting standards under which large electricity users including data centers would pay for incremental costs of generation transmission and distribution infrastructure
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 30, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- newsweek.com (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "large electricity users including data centers would pay for incremental costs of generation transmission and distribution infrastructure".
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Jon Husted says his Ratepayer Protection Act would make data centers cover the power infrastructure required to serve them
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 25, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Newsweek (opens in a new tab), national outlet
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Jon Husted said that artificial intelligence and data centers were crucial to America's economic superiority because they drive innovation, support high tech industries, and help analyze vast data essential for global competitiveness
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 23, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- politifact.com (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "artificial intelligence and data centers were crucial to America's economic superiority because they drive innovation, support high tech industries".
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Jon Husted defended tax incentives for Google's New Albany data center, saying economic benefits would outweigh the incentives
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 23, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- politifact.com (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "economic benefits would outweigh the incentives".
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Jon Husted, U.S. Senator from Ohio, expressed disappointment at missed opportunity to address data center electricity costs before midterm elections
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 18, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "It is a shame that this opportunity has been missed today, but I will be back to push this issue forward.".
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Sen. Jon Husted, as lieutenant governor, championed Ohio data center tax breaks passed a decade ago and led ribbon cutting ceremonies for new facilities
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 16, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Yahoo (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words are not clearly the speaker's own. Both readings of the statement held it.
-
Jon Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act in July 2026, requiring states to consider standards for connecting large electricity users, including data centers, to the electric grid
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 10, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- wowo.com (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "requiring states to consider standards for connecting large electricity users, including data centers, to the electric grid".
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Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio reversed his position from praising data center projects as establishing Ohio as an important tech hub to saying he is trying to protect Americans from having to foot the bill for data centers
Position note: Reflects a shift from earlier statements praising data center economic development in Ohio toward sponsoring the federal Ratepayer Protection Act in July 2026 to prevent residential utility cost increases.
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 7, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- vox.com (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Archived copy: Wayback Machine (opens in a new tab).
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "now he's saying he's trying to “protect Americans from having to foot the bill for data centers.”".
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Sen. Jon Husted introduced a Senate bill to stop average Americans from paying for data center energy costs
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 3, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- WFIN (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "Husted has introduced a Senate bill to stop average Americans from paying for data center energy costs.".
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Sen. Jon Husted attributes rising electricity prices to closure of 23 Ohio power plants under Democratic administrations, not data center construction
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: August 21, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- CNBC (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Where we looked
The record last searched for Jon Husted's words on October 23, 2026.
How they voted
No vote on a data center measure on the record.
Others in this race
- Sherrod Brown Democratic · U.S. Senate · the race page
- Gregory Lee Levy Other Party Candidate · U.S. Senate · the race page
- William Redpath Libertarian · U.S. Senate · the race page
Something missing?
Know a sourced statement by Jon Husted on data centers that is not here? Send the link. It goes to the record's inbox as a card routed to this person and publishes only after it is read against its source.
Are you Jon Husted or on the campaign? Ask for a correction or send a statement, or email corrections@datacenterrecord.org.
Data Center Record, "Public statements by Jon Husted", https://datacenterrecord.org/speakers/jon-husted, last verified October 23, 2026.
Reusing this page
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Last verified: October 22, 2026.