Republicans are sounding alarms internally over political fallout from data centers, warning that public backlash could jeopardize Senator John Husted's reelection effort in Ohio this November.
A confidential memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, obtained by ABC News, describes data centers as "the anchor hanging around Husted's neck" and warns that if Husted loses with data centers blamed, politicians nationwide will avoid similar projects. The memo, sent to AI companies, shows the two candidates are in a dead heat according to private GOP polling.
Ohio hosts more than 200 data centers—fifth in the nation, according to the Ohio Consumers Counsel. Former Senator Sherrod Brown, Husted's Democratic opponent, has built his campaign on opposition to the facilities, accusing Husted of attracting them to the state and linking him to tax breaks granted by Republican Governor Mike DeWine's administration.
Data centers consume vast amounts of land, water for cooling, and electricity. These demands strain local power grids while creating relatively few permanent jobs compared to their size.
In May, DeWine paused new tax exemptions for data centers. Husted introduced a Senate proposal requiring states to mandate that data centers cover their own power generation costs and ensure new transmission expenses are not passed to consumers.
President Donald Trump offered a different view Wednesday at a White House cryptocurrency event, telling local leaders to embrace data centers. "If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous," Trump said. He warned that communities failing to attract such facilities would fall behind.
The Ohio Democratic Party seized on the memo. "Ohioans will hold Husted accountable for increased utility bills," said spokesman Tony Wen. Charlie Blaettler, political director for the Democratic Super PAC Guardrails Alliance, said the memo shows Republicans "are panicking because they sold out to the AI industry and they know it."
