Ohio 2nd District Voter Guide: Taylor and Mazzuckelli on the Cost of Living and Data Centers
Two candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District: Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor of Amelia and Democrat Jen Mazzuckelli of Clermont County, a former high school English teacher. The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares where they stand on the cost of living and data centers.
Wikipedia's summary of the new map says the district takes in the eastern Cincinnati suburbs and stretches east along the Ohio River to Athens and Marietta. WVXU reported that the district is one of the most conservative in Ohio, based on the Cook Partisan Voting Index. Taylor won the seat in 2024 with 73.5 percent of the vote under the old lines, according to Wikipedia's summary of the results.
Why the Cost of Living and Data Centers Are Issues in Ohio's 2nd District
The Cook Political Report rates the race Solid Republican in its Oct. 23, 2026 ratings. Inside Elections rates it Solid Republican, a rating it set on Dec. 5, 2025. Sabato's Crystal Ball lists it as Safe Republican, as of April 10, 2025, according to Wikipedia's ratings table. The Digital Free Press found no public polls of the race.
"Virtually every county in District 2 is facing a future with data centers," Mazzuckelli told WVXU. Taylor's House website says data centers "have the potential to invigorate Ohio's economy and create well-paying jobs," but that "whether and where these facilities are developed should ultimately be decided by local governments and Ohio families."
On the cost of living, the TDFP video says Taylor "supports less federal spending, more domestic energy production, fewer regulations, and extending tax cuts," and "highlights tax relief on overtime and tips and an expanded child tax credit." It says Mazzuckelli "wants to end tariffs and the war in Iran, which she says increase costs," and "supports breaking up monopolies and ending business practices that favor large corporations over small businesses and consumers."
On data centers, the video says Taylor "supports local decision making, transparency, and clear benefits to the community," and says "Washington should focus on grid reliability and affordable domestic energy without heavy federal red tape." It says Mazzuckelli "also supports local control and public involvement in data center decisions" and "wants clear federal environmental and consumer protections, including action on pollutants and monopolies."
Dave Taylor (Republican, Incumbent)
Taylor, a former Clermont County assistant prosecutor, later ran his family's small business, according to the biography his campaign gave WVXU. He sits on the House Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees and co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus.
On the cost of living, Taylor told WVXU that "Washington must stop the excessive federal spending that drove up costs in the first place. We need to unleash American energy production, cut unnecessary federal regulation, and extend pro-growth tax cuts that allow small businesses to hire, invest, and expand." He said he voted "to give the average family a $2,200 tax cut" and is "proud of my vote to cut taxes on overtime and tips and expand the child tax credit."
On data centers, Taylor told WVXU: "Decisions regarding data centers should primarily be made at the local level." He said projects "must be transparent to the community they serve and clearly demonstrate how the project would be beneficial to that community," and that the federal focus "should be ensuring energy grid reliability, protecting American energy independence, and promoting clean, affordable domestic energy production without imposing heavy-handed federal red tape on local communities." In September, he voted for the Ratepayer Protection Act, which his office said would set a federal standard to protect consumers from energy costs driven by large users such as data centers. "Buckeye families should not have to bear rising energy costs resulting from local data center development," he said in a statement.
Jen Mazzuckelli (Democrat)
Mazzuckelli has worked as a human resources professional and a high school English teacher, according to the biography her campaign gave WVXU. She won the Democratic primary in May; her only previous campaign was a 2024 run for Clermont County commissioner, in which she received just over 30 percent of the vote, she told the Marietta Times.
On the cost of living, Mazzuckelli told WVXU: "We will need to end the global trade war and reign-in the unlawful tariffs. We also need to work to end the war in Iran." She added that "reducing costs is also going to require robust regulations to breakup existing monopolies and to end business practices that favor large corporations over small businesses and consumers."
On data centers, Mazzuckelli told WVXU that "whether a data center should be constructed in a particular county is a decision that should be made solely by the relevant local government with full transparency and inclusion of the people that will be affected by it." She said Congress should "pass clear, unambiguous legislation that will provide robust environmental and consumer protections," and that "breaking up monopolies, regulating environmental pollutants, and protecting public lands should be a priority of Congress."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Dave Taylor: @RepDaveTaylor on X. Jen Mazzuckelli: jen4oh2.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Ohio voters can check their registration and district at voteohio.gov. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: WVXU (Oct. 7, 2026): https://www.wvxu.org/politics/2026-10-07/ohio-2nd-district-candidates-jen-mazzuckelli-david-taylor ; Marietta Times (May 2026): https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2026/05/mazzuckelli-wilson-seek-democratic-nomination-in-ohios-2nd-house-district/ ; Rep. Taylor, data centers: https://taylor.house.gov/issues/data-centers ; Rep. Taylor, economy: https://taylor.house.gov/issues/economy ; Rep. Taylor, Ratepayer Protection Act statement (Sept. 16, 2026): https://taylor.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-taylor-votes-shield-ohioans-rising-data-center-energy-costs ; Jen Mazzuckelli for Congress: https://jen4oh2.com/ ; Clermont County Board of Elections, 2026 general election zero report: https://boe.clermontcountyohio.gov/ZeroReport2026GEN.pdf ; Cook Political Report House ratings: https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings ; Inside Elections House ratings: https://insideelections.com/ratings/house ; Wikipedia, 2026 U.S. House elections in Ohio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Ohio ; Ohio Secretary of State: https://www.voteohio.gov/
Comments