The Data Center Election

In the six years Jon Husted spent as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, he celebrated bringing data centers to the state as part of an economic development push that handed operators tens of millions in tax breaks. In 2025, the year Husted was tapped to fill JD Vance’s Senate seat when he became vice president, Ohio’s sales tax exemption for data centers cost the state almost $1. 6 billion in foregone revenue. Two years ago, Husted’s record would have been regarded as a sterling Republican credential. But heading into the midterms and fighting to keep his seat, Husted is finding that record is a political liability he is trying to legislate his way out of.