Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is attacking Ohio’s expanding data center industry in a new campaign ad aimed at Republican Sen. Jon Husted — but the ad has drawn scrutiny over the company shown on screen.
According to Fox News Digital, Brown’s Sept. 4 ad features a data center in Lancaster, Ohio, that is owned by Google. The ad includes an Ohioan blaming Husted for leading “the push to bring data centers to Ohio” and linking the industry’s growth to “higher electric bills.”
Google Facility Becomes the Flashpoint
The Lancaster facility featured in the ad opened in 2023, Fox News Digital reported. The outlet also reported that campaign finance records show Google’s corporate PAC has contributed $20,000 to Brown over his political career.
Fox News Digital further reported that Brown received additional donations from individuals who lobby for Google, including two whose firms have worked on issues involving permitting, grid reliability and energy affordability.
Republicans Call Out a Contradiction
Mehek Cooke, an Ohio GOP strategist and attorney, criticized Brown in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Apparently, Google is terrible enough to put in a campaign attack ad, but perfectly acceptable when the political contributions are coming in,” Cooke said. “That is the contradiction Brown needs to answer. If Google’s Lancaster investment is so bad for Ohio, why was Google political money acceptable to Sherrod Brown?”
The dispute places data centers — and their potential effect on energy demand and electricity costs — at the center of a Senate campaign fight in Ohio. Brown’s ad casts Husted’s support for the industry as a liability, while Republican critics are focusing on Brown’s past campaign support from Google-linked donors.
The source material did not include a response from Brown’s campaign, Husted’s campaign, or Google.
