Trump Rallies in Ohio, Defends Data Centers to Boost Jon Husted

President Donald Trump campaigned in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday night, rallying support for incumbent Senator Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Trump spoke alongside former NFL coach Jon Gruden, who highlighted his Ohio roots and Husted's past as a football player. During his speech, Trump defended data centers, a contentious topic in the state, arguing that the U.S. risks losing ground in the global artificial intelligence race against China without these facilities. He praised legislation sponsored by Senator Husted that would codify the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which seeks to ensure developers fund the electricity generation and infrastructure their projects require.

Trump stated that Husted brought this bill to the Senate floor three days prior, and almost every Democrat in the Senate voted to block it. The rally, held inside a high school gymnasium near Dayton, was part of Trump's push through at least 17 states ahead of the November 3 midterms. Husted's bid to retain the Senate seat, to which he was appointed after JD Vance was elected vice president, has become a subject of concern among Republicans.

In August, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned that Husted’s past enthusiasm for building data centers was hurting his campaign. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC, recently invested another $14 million into Ohio, bringing its total investment in the state to $93 million to support Husted.