Ohioans In Lima Rally Against Jon Husted For Bringing Hundreds of Data Centers to Ohio

Ohioans In Lima Rally Against Jon Husted For Bringing Hundreds of Data Centers to Ohio

August 19, 2026

Husted described as the "face of data centers" in Ohio

COLUMBUS, OHIO - This week, Lima City Councilwoman Jeannine Jordan, Shelby County farmer Chris Gibbs, and Ohioans facing skyrocketing electric bills rallied against Jon Husted for his record of bringing hundreds of data centers to Ohio while local communities were left with the bill.

Jon Husted blames Ohioans for data centers, telling listeners in a recent interview that "we are the problem." While Husted blames families and local communities, Ohio electric bills are now projected to be over $800 for the summer - a massive increase.

"Jon Husted is blaming you and I for using the tools modern life requires, while ignoring the fact that he helped flood the state with massive, power-hungry data centers without a coherent plan, without including citizens in the planning, without considering the costs that the people and the environment would pay," said Lima City Councilwoman Jeannine Jordan. "We need leadership that starts with people, not with corporations. Jon Husted has shown us exactly where his priorities are, and it is not with ordinary Ohioans trying to keep the lights on."

"We got Jon Husted, who basically has cut deals behind closed doors over the past ten years, particularly when he was lieutenant governor, bringing in things like tax breaks for data centers," said Lew Modic, candidate for Allen County Commissioner. "As taxpayers, the two and a half billion dollars we've given away in opportunity for sales tax to bring data centers into the state is more money than probably every resident of our county would make in the next 100 years. That's the kind of deal that we are getting cut with leadership from the appointed Senator Jon Husted."

"We hear Jon Husted being described as the face of data centers all across Ohio. When it comes to energy-hungry data centers, Husted rolled out the red carpet for these billionaire-controlled outfits, offering them 2.5 billion dollars in state-level property tax exemptions. He fast-tracked the approvals, and that's where we find ourselves today," said Chris Gibbs, a farmer in Shelby County. "Just in my case alone, AES has jacked rates 26% in the past 12 months, and over the past 24 months, my rates on those accounts have increased 37%"

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.

• 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."

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