Democratic ads in the Ohio Senate race are highlighting a political bribery scandal involving an energy company that benefited from a 2019 nuclear-power bailout law. It’s true, as the ads say, that Republican Sen. Jon Husted backed the legislation and that the company supported his campaigns. But Husted hasn’t been charged with or accused of any wrongdoing in the scandal, which is the impression the ads may leave with voters.
We’ll explain what happened in the case, which led to federal and state charges against lobbyists, former FirstEnergy executives and former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who received a 20-year federal prison sentence in 2023 for leading a racketeering conspiracy involving about $61 million in bribes for Householder to shepherd the bailout bill through the Legislature. FirstEnergy backed the bill in order to save two of its nuclear power plants. The legislation called for monthly fees added to consumers’ electric bills in order to provide more than $1 billion over seven years for nuclear power. FirstEnergy paid $230 million in penalties in a 2021 settlement with federal prosecutors.
