Sherrod Brown’s data center shift is now part of the fight for Ohio’s open Senate seat, as the former Democratic senator runs against the industry he once praised. Brown, who is trying to return to the Senate, is campaigning on the claim that data centers are straining Ohio’s electric grid and driving up costs for families.
The contrast is striking. In 2015, Brown issued a press release welcoming a third data center in Central Ohio and called Amazon’s growth in the region good news for New Albany and central Ohio. He said the expansion showed the area was a strong place for business and for families to build a life. Today, Brown is arguing the opposite, saying in a recent campaign video that big corporations treat Ohio’s electric grid like a game and that they are consuming energy for data centers in ways that raise prices for ordinary people.
Brown’s current message fits a broader Democratic push to make affordability the central issue heading into the 2026 midterms. Democrats have attacked President Donald Trump and what they describe as missed promises on the costs of food, fuel and housing. Brown’s data center shift adds another angle to that message, connecting a fast-growing industry to higher utility bills and pressure on local resources. He has said he would back legislation requiring data centers to pay the full cost of the electricity they use.
The debate has become especially important in Ohio, where companies including Amazon and Google have looked to state incentives to build out more facilities. In 2013, state lawmakers approved tax exemptions for computer data center equipment, and the Ohio Tax Credit Authority can grant those exemptions to companies that invest more than $100 million over three straight years. Those incentives have helped draw major investment, but they also cost the state $1.6 billion in forgone revenue in 2025, according to the Ohio 2026-2027 Tax Expenditure Report.
