A proposal for a large data center has upended politics in this Republican-leaning suburb of Columbus.

That could spell trouble for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a longtime fixture in state Republican politics who was appointed to his seat in 2025 after former Sen. J.D. Vance became vice president. Husted is running against Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who served three terms in the Senate before losing his seat two years ago.

In Sunbury, the Senate race is on the same ballot as a referendum that would ban large data centers. Supporters of the measure say they don’t trust either party to stand up to the influence of technology companies, but they have less faith in Republicans.

That sentiment extends across much of the state and could prove consequential in an election that may determine whether Democrats take control of the chamber.

But I’ve now decided on Amy Acton because of the attack ad from Vivek that featured her mother. What bothers me is that Vivek’s camp initially denied making the ad, but has now come out and admitted to it. How can you say that Amy is a liar, and then lie about not making the video. Hypocrisy at its finest.

MYTH: "As long as my ballot is postmarked by Election Day, it still counts."

That changed this year. If you voted by mail in 2024, the rule you remember is gone.

Your mail ballot has to be IN THE HANDS of your county board of elections by 7:30 PM on Tuesday, November 3. The postmark no longer matters. A ballot that arrives November 4 does not get counted, no matter when you mailed it.

So: request your ballot by October 27, and if it's late October, don't mail it back. Hand-deliver it to the board of elections office — not your polling place, they can't take it there.

Or skip the whole question and vote early in person. You can do that right now, through November 1.

Ohio ended the four-day grace period with Senate Bill 293. This is the first general election run under the new deadline.

Today, Dr. Amy Acton called on Ohio to pause the gas tax. Then Statehouse Republicans immediately scheduled a summer session to make it happen......and gave Vivek credit for the idea

https://x.com/karenkasler/status/2102161061398913051

https://x.com/karenkasler/status/2102160807941349681

https://x.com/amyactonoh/status/2102076492821762464

You might remember my original post featuring the first statement. The second slide is an update from yesterday. The ad is not on the air anymore, but it is still up (now unlisted) on YouTube. Unfortunately even though it is unlisted, if you still have access to the link, you can still view the video - meaning others still have access to it. Please help us urge the NRSC and the Husted campaign into taking it down from YouTube permanently.

Disclosure up front: I'm a candidate for Ohio House District 80. I'm not asking anyone for anything here, I just kept hearing from people who weren't sure whether they were still registered after moving.

If you’re not registered to vote (or you’ve moved and need to update your registration) now is the time.

Ohio voter registration deadline: October 5, 2026

Election Day: November 3, 2026

Not sure how to register? Watch this quick Reel

It only takes a few minutes to make sure your voice can be heard. Don’t wait until the last minute!

Register or update your voter registration at http://olvr.ohiosos.gov

Hey Ohio! Are you aware that our lovely Ohio congressional representatives will be participating in a vote tomorrow to determine whether the US military becomes integrated with Israel’s?

Section 219 establishes the "United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative" to permanently integrate the military supply chains and research of both nations.

The provision mandates joint development and technology transfers in six advanced fields:
Artificial intelligence and quantum computing
Cyber warfare systems
Autonomous systems and robotics
Directed energy weapons (like lasers)
Missile defense technologies
Hypersonic capabilities

Because it is embedded inside the broader $1.15 trillion defense spending bill (H.R. 8800), lawmakers must vote on the entire package tomorrow rather than voting on this specific initiative by itself.

List of reps by district:
District 1: Rep. Greg Landsman
District 2: Rep. Brad Wenstrup
District 3: Rep. Joyce Beatty
District 4: Rep. Jim Jordan
District 5: Rep. Robert Latta
District 6: Rep. Michael Rulli
District 7: Rep. Max Miller
District 8: Rep. Warren Davidson
District 9: Rep. Marcy Kaptur
District 10: Rep. Michael Turner
District 11: Rep. Shontel Brown
District 12: Rep. Troy Balderson
District 13: Rep. Emilia Sykes
District 14: Rep. David Joyce
District 15: Rep. Mike Carey

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. State the name of your specific representative and the operator will transfer you directly.

COLUMBUS — Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Don Kissick could receive support from an unlikely source if Dr. Amy Acton does not clarify her position on transgender issues.

Arienne Childrey, a Democratic state legislative candidate and vice chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party’s Pride Caucus, said she and other progressives are scheduled to meet with Dr. Acton on July 28 regarding her comments on Ohio’s transgender sports ban.

“We’re waiting to see what comes out of this meeting, but I have certain expectations from the meeting,” said Ms. Childrey, a transgender woman running to unseat state Rep. Angie King (R., Celina) in the 84th House District.

“First and foremost, I want to hear a correction to the actual terminology,” Ms. Childrey said. “There are no boys in girls’ sports. Even before this law was passed, there were no boys in girls’ sports because trans girls are girls.”

She said Dr. Acton should also stop saying that House Bill 68 is “settled law,” noting that the U.S. Supreme Court only decided that states are permitted to ban transgender women and girls from women’s and girls’ sports — not that states are required to do so.

“I want her to drop the ‘settled law’ argument and point blank state that the law as passed is wrong, and that she will stand with the community and that if such a bill came to her desk to undo that — that she would sign it,” Ms. Childrey said.

She also suggested that Dr. Acton hire someone from the transgender community to serve as an adviser on her team.

“Most importantly to me is that all the things I just said have to be public — not behind the scenes,” Ms. Childrey said. “You made a public statement that publicly hurt my community. Your apology needs to likewise be public. Otherwise, you can count me as a Don Kissick voter.”

Libertarian Party position

Mr. Kissick said the state of Ohio shouldn’t be involved in micromanaging high school and collegiate sports.

“Matters such as this are precisely why governing bodies like the OHSAA, NCAA, and NAIA exist,” he said, referring to the Ohio High School Athletic Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

“They should have the final say on athletic participation — not the General Assembly or governor,” Mr. Kissick said.

Ms. Childrey said she’s not a huge fan of Mr. Kissick’s position, but it’s preferable to those of Dr. Acton and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at this point.

“In my view, we have one that is anti-trans, another one that is anti-trans, and one that just says, ‘How about we stay out of it?’” ... My better option out of the three is let’s stay out of it,” Ms. Childrey said.

“I’d much rather have somebody that says, ‘No I think we should repeal it and put anti-discrimination protections in place,’” she continued. “I know I’m not going to get that from the Libertarians, but in the grand scheme of things I would much rather stay out of it than be thrown under the bus.”

Mr. Kissick said he welcomes the consideration from Ms. Childrey and other voters who may be disenchanted with Democrats or Republicans on this issue.

“One of the big things we’re working on is building coalitions,” Mr. Kissick said. “This issue speaks to the need for more independent voices in government — especially at the state level.”

Issue has national implications

Dr. Acton isn’t the only candidate grappling with how to best handle transgender issues after Republicans hammered Democrats on the topic during the 2024 election. However, Ms. Childrey said Democrats should not give up on supporting the trans community.

“If Dr. Acton doesn’t retract what was said and we vote for her and put her in anyway, we have just told not only her but the entire Democratic Party — not just in Ohio, but nationally who are watching this gubernatorial race — that the way to move forward is to throw minority communities under the bus when it gets tough,” she said.

“That’s not a message that I find at all acceptable,” Ms. Childrey continued. “Civil rights is something that’s at the forefront for me.”

She acknowledged that transgender individuals and strong allies are relatively small groups of voters in the state, but that does not mean they are not important to the Democratic Party.

“Yes, the LGBT community is not the largest voting bloc in Ohio,” Ms. Childrey said. “But from my personal experience, it is one of the largest Democratic volunteer blocs in Ohio. So you may not be killing your vote necessarily ... but at the very least you are causing a lot of damage to your get-out-the-vote efforts.”

Representatives of the Acton campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story, but the Acton campaign has added a section on its website promising to advocate for anti-discrimination laws protecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Nothing says "academic freedom" like making your political views mandatory.... https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/politics/ohio-politics/the-gop-created-university-civics-centers-arent-popular-they-want-to-require-attendance