Greg Landsman

In Clearcreek Township, Ohio, artist Stan Herd carved a 1-acre earthwork into a Warren County hayfield depicting a farmer, a cow and a sign reading "Not for Sale to Data Centers." Commissioned by Data Center Payoffs, a group tracking industry political donations, the piece was unveiled at an Oct. 24 rally attended by Rep. Greg Landsman and built with help from neighbors across party lines.

Ohio has 257 data centers in development, the fifth-most nationally, with an estimated $40 billion in planned investment by 2030. Rural land use, water and energy demands have fueled backlash, and voters in 18 municipalities, including Trenton and Wilmington, will decide related zoning ballot measures in November.

Eric Conroy, the Republican candidate for Ohio's 1st Congressional District, said the Democratic Socialists of America are "on the rise" within the Democratic Party as he seeks to unseat incumbent Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH). Speaking on Breitbart News Daily, Conroy said the race hinges on voter turnout, citing a slight Republican registration advantage in the redrawn district and pointing to Ohio's gubernatorial and Senate races as potential turnout drivers.

Conroy criticized Landsman on immigration, transgender policy in youth sports and medicine, and tax policy, calling him a "wolf in sheep's clothing" who votes as a "radical leftist" in Washington despite presenting himself as a moderate Midwesterner at home. He also linked Landsman to Nancy Pelosi and criticized a past Cincinnati City Council vote related to police funding. Conroy, a 14-year veteran of the Air Force and CIA, framed the contest as a broader battle over American values in a district that was reliably Republican for decades before Landsman's two terms in office.