Lawmakers have begun the arduous process of drawing congressional districts for Ohio. As you may know, Ohio Democrats did not support the two congressional maps passed four years ago. Because of that, the state’s constitution requires lawmakers to draw new ones this year.
There are a series of deadlines, and the process is complicated. But the one that really matters is Nov. 30, when lawmakers must pass a new map.
The process has begun with Democrats unveiling their proposed map.
First, let’s back up. Ohio has 15 congressional districts. Ten of them are held by Republicans and five are held by Democrats. Two—maybe three—of the Democratic districts are competitive. All of the Republican districts are considered safe.
President Trump has called on Ohio and other states to secure more safe Republican districts. So there is speculation that Republicans will try to pick up at least two more seats in Ohio through this process. They have the power to do so, because they hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate.
Back to the Democrats and their map. They unveiled it this week. Not surprisingly, it aims to make the state more competitive for Democrats.
When you look at it, while there are some squiggly lines and a couple of odd peninsulas that stick out from certain districts, the districts are largely compact. An analysis of historical voting data over the past eight years shows that Republicans would be favored in eight districts and Democrats in seven, with a couple of those Democratic-leaning districts considered competitive.
Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn joins the show.
Snollygoster of the week
Vice President Kamala Harris will soon release her book, 107 Days, detailing her time as VP and her brief stint as a presidential candidate. According to an early reading by The Atlantic, Harris goes after Joe Biden, saying the former president was reckless for not dropping out of the race earlier. She says she did not speak up during what she called months of growing panic about Biden’s cognitive health, out of loyalty.
No doubt, as she starts her book tour, there will be lots more juicy tidbits. But for spilling the beans, Kamala Harris gets our Snollygoster of the Week award.