Dem’s data center attack in critical Senate race hits snag when money trail surfaces: 'Jekyll-and-Hyde'

Brown Launches Data‑Center Attack Ad Against Husted, Highlights Google Contributions

Ohio, Sept. 4 – In a new campaign spot released on Thursday, former Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown attacked Republican Sen. Jon Husted for his role in expanding data centers across the state, linking the industry’s growth to rising electricity costs for Ohio residents. The ad, which debuted on the Senator’s website and social‑media channels, features a Google‑owned facility in Lancaster that opened in 2023.

Brown’s attack comes as the two men face off in the 2026 Senate race. Brown, who served in the Senate from 2006 until his defeat by Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024, is seeking to regain his seat. Husted, a 32‑year veteran of Ohio’s legislature, has led the state’s efforts to attract data‑center development, a policy that has drawn criticism from some voters and environmental groups.

Campaign Finance Ties

Fox News Digital’s review of Federal Election Commission records shows that Brown’s campaign has received contributions from Google and its lobbyists over the past decade. Google’s corporate political action committee donated a total of $20,000 to Brown throughout his career. In addition, Brown’s campaign has benefited from “thousands of dollars” from individuals who lobby for Google, including:

• Lisa Kountoupes, a lobbyist for Google’s permitting‑reform work. Her firm, Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, received a $3,500 donation from Kountoupes in March 2024. The firm was hired by Google in December 2023 to lobby on permitting related to the company’s data‑center needs.
• Michael D. Smith, a lobbyist for Google who has been a donor to Brown’s main campaign committee, Friends of Sherrod Brown, since 2017. Smith’s firm, Cornerstone Government Affairs, reported lobbying for Google on permitting, grid reliability, and energy‑affordability issues; Smith’s cumulative donations to Brown amount to $10,200.
• Three additional Google‑aligned lobbyists have contributed a combined $6,000 to Brown over the past decade.

The contributions were made to Brown’s principal campaign committee, not his Senate campaign directly.

Brown’s Attack and the Counter‑Response

In the Sept. 4 spot, Brown’s campaign spokesperson Lauren Chou framed Husted as the “chief reason” Ohio now hosts 226 data centers and the “face” of the industry. She urged Ohioans to decide whether new facilities should be built in their communities, arguing that residents should not be forced to subsidize the cost of higher electric bills. Chou did not address the funding Brown’s campaign has received from Google.

Republican strategist and attorney Mehek Cooke criticized the ad as hypocritical. “Apparently Google is terrible enough to put in a campaign attack ad, but perfectly acceptable when the political contributions are coming in,” Cooke told Fox News Digital. “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?”

Cooke added that Brown’s long‑standing “Jekyll‑and‑Hyde” politics undermine his message, noting his prior praise of Amazon’s 2015 data center in central Ohio and his current vocal opposition to the industry’s growth.

Context: Ohio’s Data‑Center Debate

Ohio has become a hub for data‑center development, with companies citing the state’s robust power grid and favorable tax incentives. Advocates argue the industry brings jobs and economic growth; critics warn that the facilities place a heavy burden on local utilities and environmental resources. Senate Bill 9340, a bipartisan measure that would require data‑center operators to pay for the power they consume, passed the House but was blocked in the Senate, according to Husted’s spokesperson Amy Natoce.

In a statement, Natoce accused Brown of “failing Ohio families” during his 32‑year tenure in Washington and of “playing politics” instead of tackling the higher electric bills. “Sherrod Brown and his friends would rather play politics and stick Ohio families with higher electric bills than pass a commonsense solution. It’s despicable,” she said.

Looking Ahead

The ad marks a new chapter in the high‑stakes Senate race that began with Brown’s loss to Moreno in 2024. As the campaign heats up, the spotlight will remain on Ohio’s data‑center policy and the apparent contradictions in Brown’s positions and campaign financing. Whether the attack on Husted resonates with voters—and how it will affect the perception of Brown’s ties to Google—will be key questions as the campaign enters the final stretch.