Ohio lawmakers are hashing out the final details of the biennial state budget this week under an early summer heat wave, and once it’s done, most of them will head back to their districts for summer recess, likely until the weather cools.
That’s when another round of redistricting will be high on the agenda for most of them, because the legislature is under legal obligation to draw new districts for Congress this year.
“Frankly, the focus right now has been on the budget,” Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. “I’m not really focused on redistricting.”
The same can’t be said, however, of some members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation and their staffers, since Republicans hold the U.S. House of Representatives by a single-digit margin right now. U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno told the national outlet Punchbowl News on Thursday he believes Ohio’s delegation could lose two Democratic seats through this round of redistricting, which he said “reflects the state.”
As of Monday evening, a spokesperson for Moreno hadn’t answered a request for comment.
Among the districts to watch are Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur’s (OH-9) and Emilia Sykes’s (OH-13), both of whom national Republicans are targeting. Kaptur won by less than 1% in 2024, and already, several Republicans have said they will run for the chance to unseat her. They include former state Rep. Derek Merrin, veteran Alea Nadeem and also likely current state Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.).
The Ohio Constitution says a 60% majority of the General Assembly must pass a plan by the end of September. State legislators could start informal negotiations as soon as August, said House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima).
“It’s just a question of whether the parties can pass something in a bipartisan fashion,” Huffman said earlier this month.
If they can’t, the Ohio Redistricting Commission takes over. The commission, which seats seven politicians, will still skew heavily Republican.
In November, voters handily rejected Issue 1, which would have thrown out the current system by installing an independent commission instead. Before Issue 1 failed, DeWine was pointing to Iowa’s redistricting process as a better alternative. Iowa long ago put its nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, similar to the Ohio Legislative Services Commission, in charge, though politicians have final say.
DeWine said Monday that belief hadn’t changed, though lawmakers haven’t hinted at any reform efforts.
