Butler County, Ohio

Ohio voters decide competitive Senate and governor races Tuesday, with Democrat Sherrod Brown challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Amy Acton facing Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine. Three counties offer early signals: Delaware, which has trended more Democratic despite rapid population growth and a highly educated electorate; Mahoning, home to Youngstown, which has swung sharply toward Republicans after decades of Democratic support; and Wood County, a longtime bellwether that has backed every Ohio Senate winner since 1982 and every governor-elect since 2010. Nearly 1.5 million early and mail ballots had been returned statewide by Friday, as Democrats seek a net gain of four Senate seats nationally.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce's political action committee donated $100,000 to Trenton Community Alliance, a group campaigning against Issue 17, a local ballot measure that would bar data centers requiring more than 25 megawatts of power. The sum exceeds the chamber's combined recent giving to two statewide campaigns, including Issue 3 and Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial bid. At stake is an Amazon Web Services data center already under construction in Trenton's industrial park; supporters of the ban say the project would be capped at 25 megawatts, while city officials maintain it can proceed under existing permits. The measure could also block a second Amazon facility. The Ohio Supreme Court recently rejected the city council's attempt to keep the amendment off the ballot.

President Trump rallied supporters in Vandalia, Ohio, urging them to "just pretend I'm running" ahead of the midterms, mixing crude attacks on Democrats with warnings that he would be less willing to help Ohio secure federal funds if Democrats win key races. He appeared alongside Senate candidate Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, both pledging to work closely with him despite his sagging approval. Trump also told the crowd he would push the Rate Payer Protection Act to address data center electricity costs if Husted wins.

Trump's national approval sits around 38%, with Ohio-specific numbers even lower, as majorities disapprove of his tariffs, immigration policies, and support for unregulated data centers—an issue Republicans fear could hurt Husted's race against Sherrod Brown. Ohio gas prices have risen 35% over the past year to over $4 a gallon, and Canadian retaliatory tariffs have hit billions in Ohio exports. Trump also defended his deportation push targeting Haitian immigrants in Springfield, a day after Gov. Mike DeWine, who skipped the rally, attended the funeral of a young Haitian immigrant who died by suicide following an immigration enforcement order. Protesters gathered outside the venue, and outside groups have made Husted-Brown the nation's second-costliest Senate race.

Texas voters will decide in November whether to keep the three Republican justices currently sitting on the state's 15th Court of Appeals, a court created by the Legislature in 2023 to hear civil appeals involving the state, challenges to state laws' constitutionality, and business court cases. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed all three justices in 2024, and this is their first time facing voters; a win secures a six-year term. All primaries were uncontested, with one Republican and one Democrat per race advancing to the general election.

The Republican incumbents — a chief justice and two associate justices — are being challenged by three Democrats with appellate and judicial backgrounds. In their first year and a half on the bench, the current justices have ruled on marijuana policy, abortion policy, and campaign finance disputes, at times drawing criticism from Attorney General Ken Paxton. Because the court reviews nearly all major civil cases involving the state before they reach the Texas Supreme Court, its composition carries significant weight for pending and future litigation over state policy.

Ohio lawmakers are advancing House Bill 487, which would create a new "repeat drug offender" designation for people convicted of felony drug trafficking who already have two prior trafficking convictions. Under the bill, judges would be required to impose the maximum sentence for the underlying felony plus a mandatory additional one to ten years. Republican sponsors Josh Williams and Phil Plummer argue that short sentences let repeat dealers treat prison as "the cost of doing business" and tie the measure to Ohio's overdose crisis.

Critics counter that the bill does not distinguish between large-scale traffickers and low-level sellers supporting their own addiction, and it sets no time limit on qualifying prior convictions, meaning decades-old low-level cases could trigger the enhancement. Prosecutors, not judges, would decide whether to pursue the specification. Ohio sent more than 1,200 people to prison for trafficking last year, though it's unclear how many had two prior convictions. Analysts estimate a full ten-year enhancement could cost roughly $49,000 per affected inmate, reviving debate over the fairness and racial impact of past drug sentencing laws.

Butler County, Ohio Sheriff Richard Jones, a longtime advocate for stricter immigration enforcement who has partnered with ICE for years, says the Trump administration mishandled the early stages of its second-term immigration crackdown. In a WCPO interview tied to his new book, "They Call Me Jonesy," Jones said the administration "went about it in the wrong way" initially but has since shifted to a "softer approach" after personnel changes, which he called an improvement.

Jones' jail holds federal immigration detainees under a 287(g) agreement with ICE, and he said roughly 450 people were held on immigration matters, with about 6,000 deported from Butler County over the prior 18-19 months. He has faced criticism, including from Ohio lawmakers, over jail conditions, which he disputes. Jones argues the immigration system is "broke," calls for expanded legal immigration paired with tougher enforcement against those in the country illegally, and says bipartisan compromise is needed. He credits immigration as a key factor in Trump's 2024 win.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has asked President Trump to issue a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration covering 23 Ohio counties, including Butler, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene and Preble in the greater Dayton area, following severe thunderstorms that struck from Aug. 10 through Aug. 23. The storms brought flash flooding and 17 confirmed tornadoes, killing two people, injuring at least four, and prompting about 59 water rescues.

Preliminary damage assessments from FEMA and the Small Business Administration found at least 50 homes and businesses destroyed, 806 with major damage, and 475 with minor damage. DeWine requested activation of FEMA's Individual Assistance Grant program to help with temporary housing, home repairs, rental assistance and other needs, along with SBA low-interest loans for uninsured losses and FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. DeWine said the damage exceeds the state's capacity to respond alone, and federal aid would be critical to recovery efforts.

Tensions are escalating in Springfield, Ohio, where ICE has detained two Haitian pastors and roughly 30 others under a Butler County Jail contract, prompting residents to describe an atmosphere of fear and call the enforcement effort a "siege." The crackdown follows the Supreme Court's June decision allowing the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, formalized by the federal government in late July. Springfield's Haitian population, estimated at 12,000 to 15,000 across Clark County, has been receiving notices to report to ICE offices, with some released wearing ankle monitors. The Department of Homeland Security released a video calling TPS "terminated" and urging Haitians to leave or face deportation.

At an Aug. 25 city commission meeting, residents demanded local officials limit cooperation with federal agents, but Republican Mayor Rob Rue offered no concrete action. Advocacy groups criticized city and state leaders, including Gov. Mike DeWine, for inaction. Faith leaders have organized protests, calling the ankle monitors humiliating, and are planning a large downtown march on Aug. 30.