Ohio’s rural communities are shaped by wide open spaces and deep local ties, by multi-generational farms and innovative small businesses. They’re connected both by a common desire to succeed and by the services and infrastructure that keep daily life moving. Among the most important of those connections are electric cooperatives, which were created generations ago to bring light to those out-of-the-way areas that investor-owned utilities ignored, and today continue to play a vital role in powering homes, schools, farms, and businesses across the state.
The 2026 midterm election is Nov. 3, and as Ohio voters consider candidates for governor and U.S. senator, topics like energy, affordability, reliability, economic development, broadband access, and local control are not abstract policy debates. They are topics that affect the lives and livelihoods — and the connections — of rural Ohioans every day.
Ohio Cooperative Living asked the major-party candidates for each of these offices a common set of questions designed to get a clear look at how each would approach the issues that matter to electric cooperatives, co-op members, and the communities they call home. We hope this conversation both helps to inform thoughtful civic engagement and underscores the continuing importance of rural voices in decisions made in Washington, at the State House, and across Ohio.
[Editor’s note: The candidates’ answers are presented unedited, exactly as provided by their respective staffs, who each were given opportunities to amend them.]
Ohio election information
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3 — polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Deadline to register: October 5 (county boards of elections are open until 9 p.m.)
Early in-person voting: Begins October 6
Absentee ballot by mail: Begins October 6
Click here for specific dates and times for early voting. For specific information on where to vote, check with your county board of elections.
Governor
Two candidates who have never held elected office face off for governor, as Republican Vivek Ramaswamy takes on Democrat Amy Acton.
OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING: What will be the issues of highest priority for your administration?
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: My highest priority will be making Ohio the most affordable, opportunity-rich state in America. That starts on Day One.
I will deliver historic property tax relief. Ohio families, farmers, and seniors should not be taxed out of homes and land they already own. I will also work with the General Assembly to responsibly eliminate the state income tax, because it is your money, not the government's.
I will address real data center concerns by immediately signing an Executive Order halting new data center development until my Ohioans-First plan is passed requiring projects to meet three conditions:
- Cover the electric bills of nearby residents.
- Prohibit property tax abatements and create a property tax rebate for Ohio homeowners.
- Meet environmental standards, especially for our water supply, and protect pristine farmland.
I will aggressively fight Medicaid fraud and waste and redirect saved taxpayer dollars towards law-abiding citizens who deserve more affordable healthcare.
A final early priority is restoring excellence in education. We will enact higher standards in reading, math, and civics, promote career and technical education, and focus on preparing young Ohioans for greater heights.
The common goal is simple: lower costs and a government that works for Ohioans.
AMY ACTON: Ohioans are working harder than ever but still can’t make ends meet. Everywhere I go, I hear that the cost of healthcare, childcare, property taxes, and electricity are too high. That’s why I’m running for governor — I refuse to look the other way while Ohioans suffer.
My number one priority is to lower costs for Ohio families. As governor, I will fight to institute a working families tax cut, deliver immediate property tax relief, especially for our seniors, root out corruption that is raising costs for all of us, and combat soaring energy bills.
As a doctor, I know firsthand how important it is for Ohioans to be able to access and afford healthcare. That’s why as governor, I will fight to lower healthcare costs by protecting against attacks on Medicaid and Medicare, reducing prescription drug prices, and forgiving medical debt holding Ohioans back.
Public schools saved my life as a kid. Every Ohio kid deserves a quality, 21st century public school education. As governor, I will fight to fully and constitutionally fund Ohio’s public schools and reform the corrupt school voucher system which funnels billions of taxpayer dollars to private schools with no transparency or accountability.
OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING: What will you do to help improve the vitality of small towns and communities while improving economic opportunities in rural areas?
AMY ACTON: I have been on the ground meeting with Ohioans in every corner of the state in rural counties, small towns, legacy cities like Youngstown, and Appalachian communities. I’m running for governor because I want every Ohioan, no matter where you live, to have a fair shot — first and foremost, that means lowering the cost of living.
As governor, I will institute a working families tax cut to put money back in Ohio families’ pockets, lower healthcare costs, provide property tax relief, and fully fund our public schools. I will keep rural hospitals open and expand telehealth options, expand workforce development and skills training programs, and make it easier to open a small business. I will also fight to bring infrastructure, broadband and internet access to rural areas to ensure we’re investing in our people and providing real economic opportunity to Ohioans in every community.
Meanwhile, my opponent says he wants to consolidate Ohio’s universities and colleges, which would only hurt our small towns and rural communities.
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Too often, leaders are presented with false choices: between economic development or preserving Ohio agriculture; between preserving small towns’ heritage or building their future. We can do both, and I will lead the state in a way that rejects these false choices.
That means pursuing the right kind of growth for rural and small-town Ohio. I will prioritize efforts to grow local manufacturing by cutting taxes and red tape. I will also pursue businesses that increase demand for our agricultural outputs, while protecting farmland from overdevelopment.
We also need to make it easier for young families to build a life in small towns. That means removing barriers to new housing, expanding infrastructure where needed, and giving local communities greater flexibility to redevelop vacant properties and underused downtown buildings. The state and JobsOhio should prioritize siting of new projects on abandoned industrial sites to support this redevelopment.
Strong communities require more than just good jobs. They take impactful schools which prioritize academic outcomes and vocational skills, like 4H and FFA. Communities can also benefit from revitalizing downtown gathering places, parks, and community centers. Instead of mandates from Columbus, the state can empower local institutions by leveraging private and philanthropic investment.
Ohio Cooperative Living: Ohio’s electric cooperatives strive to provide affordable and reliable electric service through an all-of-the above approach to generation sources. As governor, how will your policies toward electric generation, transmission, and distribution ensure that cooperatives can continue to best serve their members?
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Reliable and affordable energy is critical for the future of all parts of Ohio, including our communities served by electric cooperatives.
As Governor, I will pursue an energy strategy that expands generation and supply instead of rationing demand.
That requires us to produce more natural gas, deploy new generation technologies (like small modular nuclear), and eliminate permitting barriers that unnecessarily drive up costs. Ohio should have enough dependable power to serve families, manufacturers, and the sectors of the future.
We also need to ensure that rapid growth in electricity demand does not force existing customers to subsidize new users. That is why I have called for economic development to benefit Ohioans who already live here, not leave them paying higher electric bills.
Electric cooperatives know their members and communities better than bureaucrats do. My goal will be to create the conditions for cooperatives to keep doing what they do best: delivering reliable power at the lowest reasonable cost, while preserving the flexibility needed to meet the unique needs of rural Ohio.
AMY ACTON: I’m committed to pursuing an all-of-the-above energy strategy that enhances production, expands the lowest cost and most efficient sources of energy, and brings job opportunities for Ohioans working in this field. I will also ensure Ohio works with the 12 other states in PJM to advocate for affordable, reliable power for all Ohioans.
Under my conditional moratorium for data centers, all costs for electricity and gas will be covered by data centers and their investors, not Ohio taxpayers or our communities. Data centers must invest in their own energy generation options and prove the project will not increase our electricity prices or negatively impact regional reliability to help lower regional costs and strengthen our state’s energy grid.
As governor, I will fight to ensure every Ohioan has the reliable, affordable electricity they deserve.
U.S. Senator
Democrat Sherrod Brown takes on Republican Jon Husted in a special election to determine who will complete a term that expires in 2028. Husted is the incumbent, having been appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2025 after J.D. Vance resigned to become vice president.
Ohio Cooperative Living: What are the most pressing issues facing Congress in the next term?
JON HUSTED: The next Congress needs to stay focused on making America safer, stronger
and more affordable. That means continuing to lower costs for working families, creating good-paying jobs, securing our border, restoring American energy dominance and strengthening our national defense.
We also need to get serious about America’s long-term economic competitiveness. We cannot allow China to beat us in advanced manufacturing, AI or other critical technologies. That requires reliable energy, a skilled workforce and policies that encourage companies to build and invest here at home.
Finally, Washington needs to tackle the national debt and reform government so it works better for taxpayers. Sen. Husted believes in bringing Ohio values to Washington: work hard, live within your means and create opportunity for people who are willing to work for it. Those principles will continue to guide Sen. Husted’s work in the Senate.
SHERROD BROWN: First, we have to address the cost-of-living and affordability crisis across Ohio. To do that Congress needs to: cap how much utility companies can increase rates for electricity; cut taxes on working people and make the rich pay their fair share; make it illegal for drug companies to charge Americans more than what they charge in other countries for the same medicines; and require out of state corporations to pay the full cost of data centers’ construction and electricity so that Ohioans won’t be forced to pay higher utility costs. This is only the start of the work we have to do, but this will get us going in the right direction to make Ohioans’ lives better.
I will also sponsor and work to pass the Child Tax Credit to give working families a tax break proven to improve their lives.
Congress must work to eliminate corruption within its ranks. To do so, we must ban members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks or lobbying after they leave — for life.
Ohio Cooperative Living: What federal policies will you support to improve the vitality of small towns and communities while improving economic opportunities in rural areas?
SHERROD BROWN: The biggest threat to small towns and communities are these out-of-state corporations and billionaires coming into these areas with no warning and no input from local communities. Data centers must pay the full cost of data center construction and electricity so Ohioans aren’t forced to pay higher utility costs. Local governments and communities should also be able to choose whether to allow a data center to be built in their area. That is the only way we can power our future while still protecting small towns and communities.
JON HUSTED: Sen. Husted grew up in a small town in northwest Ohio, and understands that rural communities need the tools to create opportunity while maintaining the character that makes them special.
He supports policies that help small businesses and family farms grow, expand access to capital and cut unnecessary regulations. He has backed legislation to increase investment in rural small businesses and modernize USDA loan programs so family farms can grow and pass their operations to the next generation.
Infrastructure matters, too. Reliable broadband is essential for education, workforce training and running a modern business, which is why Sen. Husted has worked to expand broadband access in rural Appalachia. He also fought for the Rural Health Transformation Fund because strong communities need access to quality health care close to home.
His goal is simple: Ohioans shouldn’t have to leave their hometown to find opportunity. Federal policy should help create the conditions for good jobs, strong businesses and thriving communities in every corner of our state.
Ohio Cooperative Living: Specifically, what federal energy policies would you support to ensure America has reliable, affordable, and abundant electricity to meet the rapidly growing demand for power?
SHERROD BROWN: The most important part of federal energy policy is keeping our American power grid safe and reliable. I will support policies that ensure Americans have access to safe, low-cost, and reliable electricity to power their daily lives. We must also ensure that Ohioans are on the forefront of innovation by investing in energy policy — including clean energy — that creates more opportunities for good-paying jobs.
JON HUSTED: America needs an all-of-the-above energy strategy that produces more power here at home. We should cut unnecessary regulatory red tape, streamline permitting and unleash American energy production so we have the reliable and affordable electricity necessary to power our homes, farms, factories and growing technology sector.
But working families and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize the electricity demands of data centers and other large power users. That’s why Sen. Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would ensure large-load customers pay for the new generation, transmission and infrastructure required to serve them rather than passing those costs on to existing ratepayers.
As these companies build new generation, they can actually help strengthen our electric grid and increase America’s energy supply. We can win the global race for AI and advanced manufacturing while protecting Ohio families from higher electric bills. The answer to rising demand isn’t producing less energy — it’s producing more American energy and making sure those driving new demand pay their own way.
