In Ohio, Crypto Revenge Spending Runs Into a Data Center Backlash

In Toledo, Ohio, around 20 miles north of the 280-acre site where Meta is currently building a data center despite pushback from local residents, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) spoke to supporters about what he called the “crypto/data center crowd” vowing to spend $30 million against his campaign to win back a Senate seat. “You know why? Because they know I’m going to take them on,” he told the crowd before launching into a story about his recent visit to the nearby data center construction site. “Once they’re built,” he said, “your electric rates are going up. Your electric rates go up and you have no say in it.”

The $30 million announcement came late last month from the crypto industry’s super PAC Fairshake, backed by the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase, and Ripple Labs. Now, the spending has reached over $55 million. It’s all part of a Machiavellian revenge plot, after Senate Democrats voted down an industry priority despite threats from crypto’s political arm.

Brown wasn’t part of that vote, thanks to his 2024 defeat, which Fairshake took credit for after dropping $40 million in that race. Still, he’s found himself a target once again.

The crypto industry hopes to prevent Brown from returning to the Senate, where he would be likely to play a significant role in overseeing digital asset regulation. His role as chair of the Senate Banking Committee and his vocal criticism of crypto originally made him a target in 2024. If they can make an example yet again out of the same candidate, the industry hopes they can hold onto some of their dwindling influence in Washington.