Nick Owens, a lifelong Republican and attorney in Brown County, Ohio, has emerged as a central figure in the growing opposition to hyperscale data centers in rural communities. Owens, who served as a Trump delegate at the 2024 Republican National Convention, is leading a grassroots coalition called Conserve Ohio that seeks to halt the construction of large AI-powered data centers. The group is currently pursuing ballot initiatives in 10 communities to amend local charters and is working on a petition for a state constitutional amendment to ban large-scale data centers statewide, aiming for a vote in 2027.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, have defended the expansion of data centers as essential for economic prosperity. President Trump recently posted on Truth Social, stating, "The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign." Senator Husted has accused Brown of hypocrisy for previously supporting data centers and has promoted his own legislative efforts to make developers cover infrastructure costs. However, Owens notes that President Trump's comments have been perceived as "tone deaf" by rural voters who feel their local concerns are being dismissed.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic candidates and progressive voices have leveraged the data center controversy to challenge Republican incumbents in Ohio. Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, running for a U.S. Senate seat, has characterized his opponent, incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, as "the face of data centers." Brown has highlighted Husted's role as former lieutenant governor in welcoming tech companies to the state and championing their investments. Senate Democrats have blocked a bill introduced by Husted that would require data centers to pay for power grid upgrades, arguing the legislation is "toothless" and fails to adequately address the costs borne by local communities.
What the Numbers Show
Brown County, where Owens resides, voted 80% for President Trump in the 2024 election. The village of Mt. Orab, with a population of 4,300, is the epicenter of the local opposition, where 1,000 acres of farmland were sold to data center developers in 2024 and 2025. Conserve Ohio has mobilized volunteers in nearly all 88 counties in Ohio. The group is collecting signatures for a petition to place a statewide ban on large-scale data centers on the ballot in 2027. In the 10 communities targeted for local charter amendments, the initiatives seek to prohibit the construction of large-scale data centers, moving beyond the temporary pauses adopted by hundreds of other municipal and county governments across the state.
The Bottom Line
The rise of bipartisan grassroots opposition in Ohio's rural counties signals a potential shift in voter enthusiasm for the Republican Party in the 2026 midterms. Owens and other local leaders argue that the secrecy surrounding land sales and the lack of community input have eroded trust in political candidates who support data center expansion. With construction at the Mt. Orab site yet to begin and the state constitutional amendment still in the signature-gathering phase, the issue remains a pivotal factor in Ohio's tight Senate race and local elections. The outcome of the 2027 ballot measure could set a precedent for how other states handle the rapid growth of AI infrastructure.