Ohio’s Senate race gets messy as bribery scandal looms over Republican hopeful

Ohio Republicans are betting big on Jon Husted to keep a key Senate seat, but a years-long corruption mess threatens to sink their campaign. At the heart of the mess? A $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants that somehow turned into a bribery scheme worth $60 million. The scandal has dragged on for over five years, and Husted—now running for Senate—finds himself tangled in it despite never being charged. Husted recently took the witness stand in the trial of two ex-energy executives linked to the scheme. A mistrial left the case hanging, forcing a retrial just weeks before Ohio voters head to the polls in November. His testimony could come back to haunt him if voters connect the dots. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are throwing money at him—$79 million—trying to shield him from the fallout. That’s no small amount, considering it’s a quarter of their total spending in eight tight races.

The scandal revolves around House Bill 6, the bill that poured cash into the nuclear plants. Husted insists he had nothing to do with it, even though his name keeps popping up in records. Text messages from 2019 show FirstEnergy executives joking about Husted pushing for longer subsidies. “Husted called me, ” one wrote, while another griped that he failed to deliver. Husted shrugs it off, saying he just wanted the plants running to keep Ohio’s lights on. Then there’s the dark money trail. A lobbyist told federal agents that FirstEnergy funneled cash through nonprofits to help Husted’s past campaigns. One group got a cool $1 million in 2017, labeled as a "Husted campaign" donation. The utility even plotted ways to hide contributions, like covering event costs under fake names to avoid scrutiny. Federal law bans this kind of coordination, so if true, it’s a serious problem. Husted won’t comment on the latest details as the cases drag on. But with early voting around the corner, voters might wonder: Can a candidate stay clean when so many around him were caught dirty?

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