News: Republicans on Ohio’s redistricting commission struck a deal with Democrats on a compromise congressional map after hours of late-night deliberations.
Here are the details, according to multiple sources close to the process:
– Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes will be drawn into a slightly more favorable northeast Ohio district, although it will still be very competitive.
– Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman will be in a redder Cincinnati-area district, though it will also still be competitive.
– Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur will see her northwest Ohio district become slightly more red. Kaptur is currently in a seat President Donald Trump won by 7 points.
The current Ohio delegation split is 10 Republicans to five Democrats. The remaining two Democrats, Reps. Joyce Beatty in Columbus and Shontel Brown in Cleveland, remain in deep blue districts.
And Democrats retain an outside chance of contesting seats held by GOP Reps. Max Miller, Mike Carey and Mike Turner.
This compromise is a shocking development. Ohio’s constitution mandates a complicated redistricting process that includes the commission and the state legislature. The Buckeye State is required to redraw its map for 2026 because it passed in 2021 without bipartisan support.
Both parties expected the commission to reach a stalemate and that redistricting would revert back the state’s GOP-controlled legislature.
But Democrats were able to successfully leverage the prospect of a referendum campaign. For their part, Republicans dangled the threat of pushing through a less favorable map if Democrats rejected their offer.
The redistricting commission will meet today at 4 p.m. ahead of its Oct. 31 deadline to submit the map.
This new map proposal is certainly worse for Democrats. But it’s not as bad as it could be. In a very strong Democratic year, Kaptur, Landsman and Sykes could win reelection.
Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission showed Democrats a map that would doom Kaptur, Sykes and Landsman, according to a source close to the process, and they said the state legislature would introduce that 13R-2D map on Nov. 1 if no deal was reached by the commission.
The calculus. This map is a safe bet for Democrats. Two seats get worse, but one gets slightly better. Why would they hesitate to take it?
The redistricting commission map is final. A legislature-enacted map could be frozen for 2026 and put before the voters in a referendum if Democrats can collect some 250,000 signatures in 90 days.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said he would fundraise and support any signature-gathering campaign. But it would be a herculean effort in the middle of fall and into the holiday season. It’s a high-risk, high-reward option.
Meanwhile, Republicans accepted a worse map than they may have had otherwise in exchange for avoiding the uncertainty of a referendum.
Some additional thoughts to consider: Emilia Sykes is the daughter of Vernon Sykes, who served in the Ohio legislature for more than four decades before retiring in 2024. The elder Sykes had good relationships with Republican lawmakers who are now deciding the fate of his daughter’s congressional district.
One name to watch as the map is finalized: Ohio Senate President Rob McColley is eyeing Kaptur’s seat, according to sources familiar with his plans. Republicans believed McColley would angle for his home in Henry County to be drawn into the district, scrambling the primary field there.
