Ohio Senate: where the candidates stand

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Taxes and affordability

Voted for a budget bill he says lowers taxes and preserves the 2017 tax cuts, citing a $2,140 tax increase Ohio households would have faced otherwise and a child tax credit rising to $2,200. He describes making life easier and more affordable for Ohioans as his top priority since taking office.

Data center tax breaks and development record

As lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2025 he played a pivotal role in bringing billion-dollar data center projects to Ohio and backed tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks for past projects, and he continues to defend new data center development.

Data center tax breaks and local control

Criticized what he calls 'out-of-control' tax breaks for data center developers under Husted's watch and promised to make data centers pay the full cost of their electricity; on the trail he said the approval process should be 'a local decision with everyone knowing what is at stake.' He has not taken a position on a moratorium on new construction.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Immigration and border security

Has made immigration control a central campaign theme, citing cases of trucking companies hiring people in the country illegally who obtained fraudulent CDL licenses, and says Democrats gave the country open borders and sanctuary cities. He supported funding border security measures at the southern border and on Lake Erie.

Immigration

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Medicaid

Says the budget bill protects and strengthens Medicaid while combating abuse, including requiring able-bodied adults without young children to work or volunteer 20 hours per week.

Prescription drug costs

Joined the bipartisan HELP Copays Act, which would require insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to count copay assistance toward a patient's deductible and out-of-pocket limit. A separate Husted bill modernizing FDA over-the-counter drug review became law in November 2025.

Health insurance

Calls for banning health insurance companies from denying care a doctor says is needed and fining insurers that deny claims, saying care decisions should be between a patient and their doctor.

Prescription drug costs

Wants to make it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than they charge people in other countries, arguing the same pill should cost the same price.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Energy

Supported extending the clean hydrogen production tax credit to Jan. 1, 2028, eliminating the Inflation Reduction Act's natural gas tax for 10 years, and expanding oil, gas and coal leasing. Separately, he has expressed support for fossil fuels and nuclear energy to power data centers and has criticized wind and solar as inadequate to meet increased demand.

Climate change and clean energy

Has called climate change one of the defining moral issues of the time, and argues for treating it as an economic opportunity through energy-efficient homes, domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles, batteries and charging infrastructure, zero-emission buses, and transit. He has said banks and insurers should factor catastrophic climate risks into their investments and balance sheets.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Congressional term limits

Signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge to cosponsor and vote for a constitutional amendment limiting members to three two-year House terms and two six-year Senate terms.

Congressional stock trading

Has refused to support a ban on stock trading for members of Congress and their spouses while he and his wife hold investments in mutual funds and individual stocks, according to reporting cited by the Ohio Democratic Party. No statement on the issue from Husted himself appears in the reviewed sources.

Congressional stock trading and lobbying

Supports barring members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks and prohibiting former members from becoming lobbyists after leaving office.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Israel and Iran

Has maintained a pro-Israel record, opposing efforts to block weapons transfers to Israel, joining nearly all Senate Republicans in demanding full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, supporting American and Israeli strikes on Iran, and backing legislation to increase sanctions on Iran.

Israel

Voted against efforts to block certain U.S. arms transfers to Israel and says Israel has a clear right to defend itself against Hamas; he has said Israel and Hamas must agree to a ceasefire that ends the war, frees the hostages and delivers humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Iran and the Houthis

Pressed the administration after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks to re-freeze Iranian funds released under a hostage deal, and in early 2024 called on the Biden administration to re-impose a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation on the Houthis.

No documented position found in reviewed sources.

Education and workforce

Supports expanding Pell Grant eligibility for short-term, accredited, workforce-aligned programs and a school choice tax credit; highlights technical education on the campaign trail, citing an $875,000 grant his office secured to expand a CDL program.

Data centers and electricity rates

Introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require state utility regulators to consider standards ensuring large-load customers such as data centers pay the full incremental cost of the infrastructure needed to serve them. He says data centers should only be located where communities want them and calls it a 'local issue,' while arguing the projects bring construction jobs and broaden the tax base.

National defense

Touts the budget bill's defense provisions, including funding to accelerate the F-47 fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft programs, initial investment in the Golden Dome missile defense system, munitions restocking, and critical-minerals supply chains.

Utility rates

Supports capping how much utility companies can raise rates to keep bills affordable and predictable, saying no Ohioan should have to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.

Data centers and electricity costs

Wants to end state tax breaks for data centers, require them to pay the full cost of their utilities so residential bills don't rise, and give local communities a say in whether projects are built. He has also said companies must safely process and recirculate the water their systems use.

Issue positions generally

No documented position found in reviewed sources.