Sherrod Brown Data Center Ad Draws Fire Over $20,000 in Google PAC Money
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 19
Sherrod Brown Data Center Ad Draws Fire Over $20,000 in Google PAC Money
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 19
Summary
Brown’s Sept. 4 attack ad against Jon Husted over Ohio data centers is facing backlash because it features a Google-owned Lancaster facility while Brown previously took $20,000 from Google’s corporate PAC.
FEC records also show Brown received $10,200 from Google lobbyist Michael D. Smith, $3,500 from lobbyist Lisa Kountoupes and another $6,000 combined from three additional Google lobbyists.
Brown’s campaign did not address the contributions, instead arguing Husted "led the charge" behind Ohio’s 226 data centers and saying residents should not have to absorb higher electricity costs.
Husted’s campaign countered that the Ohio House passed his bipartisan bill to make data center companies pay for their power use, but Senate Democrats blocked it.
The clash lands in a high-stakes Ohio Senate race where Brown, after losing in 2024, is trying to return as data centers become a defining midterm issue tied to AI growth and grid strain.