The redistricting wars are far from over, and Republicans are already lining up their next big prize: Ohio. Fresh off a major win in Texas, where Democrats literally ran away from their responsibilities to block a new GOP map, Republicans in the Buckeye State are gearing up for a battle that could deliver them up to three additional House seats. With midterms just around the corner, that’s a game-changer.
The current Ohio map, passed without any Democratic support, is already leaning red. But with the state trending more conservative every cycle, GOP lawmakers see an opportunity to cement that momentum. Tony Schroeder, an Ohio GOP State Central Committeeman, put it bluntly: “Ohio is moving right and red, rapidly. So I think that’s going to be reflected in the design of the new maps.” Translation: Democrats are about to lose more turf.
Of course, Democrats aren’t taking it lying down. Inspired by the Texas stunt where they fled the state to block a quorum, Ohio Democrats are promising to “fight” the GOP’s plans. The problem for them? They don’t have the numbers. Ohio Republicans enjoy a supermajority in the legislature, which means Democrats can’t pull a Texas-style disappearing act. They simply don’t have the votes to block the process.
That leaves Democrats with two options, both uphill battles: sue in court claiming the maps are illegal, or launch a citizen-led referendum to repeal them. The ACLU, never missing a chance to meddle, is already fanning the flames. Jocelyn Rosnick of the ACLU of Ohio admitted as much, saying the state has been obsessed with redistricting for over a decade and now has “a lot of energy” around the issue.
Under Ohio law, if a bipartisan supermajority approves the map, it lasts ten years. If not, the matter goes to a seven-member commission. Should that fail, the process falls back to the legislature, which only needs a simple majority to finalize it. Given the GOP’s lock on the statehouse, that’s the likeliest outcome.
And here’s the kicker: if Republicans succeed, Democrat Representatives Emilia Sykes, Marcy Kaptur, and Greg Landsman are on the chopping block. Their districts could vanish entirely under the new map. For a state that has been slowly but surely drifting right, this would only accelerate the trend.
While Democrats scream “gerrymander,” Republicans are simply using the rules to reflect Ohio’s political reality. The battle lines are drawn, and if things go as planned, the GOP will walk away with three more seats in Congress and a stronger hand going into 2026.
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