Bribery scandal shadows Husted's Ohio Senate re-election bid

Jon Husted, Ohio’s Republican U.S. senator, is seeking re-election this fall in a campaign shadowed by a $60 million bribery scandal that has roiled state politics for more than five years. Husted was recently called to testify as a defense witness in the criminal trial of two former energy executives. A mistrial in March has set the stage for a retrial scheduled to begin Sept. 28, just weeks before the November elections.

Husted has never been charged with or accused of wrongdoing and has consistently denied any role in the scandal, which centered on legislative approval of a $1 billion bailout for Ohio’s two nuclear power plants. But a public record of his interactions with key figures in the scheme—preserved in calendars, text messages, and court documents—has raised questions about his dealings with people indicted or imprisoned in the conspiracy. Senate Republicans, concerned about the political impact, are spending heavily in support of his campaign.

The Ongoing Cases

The two former energy executives, Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling, will stand trial again in the fall following the March mistrial. Larry Householder, the former Ohio House Speaker, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 of orchestrating the scheme. FirstEnergy, the utility company that benefited from the bailout, has admitted to underwriting the conspiracy.

Republicans have allocated substantial resources to the race. The Senate Leadership Fund, the main super political action committee backing Republican Senate candidates, announced plans to spend $79 million on Husted’s behalf—roughly one-quarter of its planned national spending in eight tightly contested Senate races.

Husted is expected to face Sherrod Brown, a Democrat ousted from the Senate in 2024, in what is likely to be one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races.

Documented Interactions and Denials

When asked in 2022 what role he played in the bailout legislation known as House Bill 6, Husted answered, “None.” He has reiterated that stance repeatedly, even as evidence disclosed in recent court proceedings has raised questions about his involvement.

In an NBC4 interview in January, Husted said, “My role was very clear. I wanted the nuclear power plants to remain operational. It was about keeping those plants open and keeping the lights on for millions of Ohioans.”

Husted’s calendars, obtained through public records requests and reviewed by The Associated Press, show multiple meetings and phone calls with Chuck Jones, the state’s former top utility regulator, and Larry Householder during the time the bailout bill was being developed and passed.

Jones and Dowling discussed a push by Husted for additional subsidies in the legislation, according to evidence presented in the criminal trials. In June 2019, Jones texted Dowling screenshots of a conversation with Householder suggesting Husted was working on FirstEnergy’s behalf to extend the term of the nuclear subsidies from six years to ten years.

Jones urged Householder to “negotiate hard” for 10 years of subsidies. Householder responded, “Ugh, that adds $600M,” referring to an additional dollar amount.

“Husted called me 2 nights ago and was supposed to get it in the Senate version,” Jones wrote.

Householder replied about Husted, “He’s not a legislator.”

“I know but he said Senate leaders would listen,” Jones responded. “He didn’t deliver.”

When asked about these text exchanges in 2024, Husted was adamant in his denial. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said at a news conference. “We weren’t involved. Texts to other people—texts to other people shared amongst themselves—have nothing to do with me. And I wasn’t involved in that conversation.”

Dark Money and Campaign Finance

A longtime Ohio lobbyist told federal agents that FirstEnergy and its nuclear subsidiary funneled dark money to nonprofits that benefited Husted and Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican. One group, Freedom Frontier, received a $1 million contribution in 2017 marked internally by FirstEnergy as “Husted campaign.” Husted was running for governor at the time.

Internal FirstEnergy communications from 2017 and 2018 include discussions about Jones and Dowling attending Husted events dating back to 2016. The communications also reflect concerns from Dowling about dark money contributions becoming public. Jones and Dowling discussed strategies to contribute under alternate names. In July 2018, they planned a DeWine-Husted fundraiser in Naples, Florida, discussing how to contribute under one name while covering event costs under another to ensure “no cost billed to (the) campaign.”

Husted declined to provide further comment about the details that have emerged as the various cases surrounding the bribery scandal play out. His spokesman, Josh Eck, said: “Sen. Husted has commented extensively with the media and given testimony under oath and doesn’t have anything additional to add.”