Ohio Democrats and Republicans voted Friday in favor of a new congressional map that gives GOP lawmakers an edge in two key districts.
This map was created without public input by unanimous vote of the Ohio Redistricting Commission and will remain in place until 2030.
The new map could make it more difficult for Democratic Representatives Greg Landesman (Ohio) and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) to win reelection. Kaptur won re-election in 2024 when she was a top GOP target, regaining her seat by less than one percentage point.
According to, Ohio Democrats moved with the map Columbus DispatchBecause its new lines would likely leave Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) representing a seat in Akron, while keeping a separate seat in Cincinnati competitive.
Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said the map could leave Republicans with a 12–3 advantage, arguing that the party should be happy with the outcome.
“For Republicans who may not like it (the result), I would just say it could very well be a 12-3 map. Those are very good numbers,” DeWine told reporters. Columbus Dispatch,
Republicans currently hold 10 of the 15 congressional seats in Ohio, according to The Associated Press,
Because the map is a compromise between the two parties, Democrats are giving up any chance of changing the map in 2026.
“This solves it, and I think it makes it less likely that a referendum could happen and our side could lose,” DeWine.
Voter advocacy groups have expressed concern over the rapid approval of new congressional districts.
“It’s clear from their actions today that the politicians on the Ohio Redistricting Commission don’t care about voters or good government. They only care about their own power,” Jane Miller, president of the League of Women Voters Ohio, said in a statement,
He said, “The public was shut out, the process was rigged and those in power partisan. The resulting congressional map still does not reflect the will of Ohio voters. Republican and Democratic voters feel their parties have sold them out – and they are both right.”
Organizations and other groups were already pushing for a ballot measure that would have allowed constituents to influence map creation.
Now, Ohio is joined by Missouri, Texas and North Carolina approving redrawn lines Before the midterm elections.
