For those of us tired of talking about redistricting, we’re happy. The Ohio Redistricting Commission has approved a bipartisan map and the issue appears settled for six years. But we might be the only ones who are happy.
Hardline Democrats are not happy. Hardline Republicans are not happy. Congressman Greg Landsman of Cincinnati is not happy. And now, former congressional candidate Kevin Coughlin from northeast Ohio is not happy.
They are not happy, but they have to live with Ohio’s new congressional map.
The map carves up Ohio into its 15 districts. Three are considered safe Democratic districts, and twelve are considered to favor Republicans.
Among the key changes: Democrat Emilia Sykes’ district in Akron is now more safely Democratic; Democrat Marcy Kaptur’s district in the Toledo area is more Republican; and Democrat Greg Landsman’s district in Cincinnati shifts from a toss-up to leaning Republican.
For more on how the commission reached this compromise and where Ohio goes from here, we turn to a panel of Statehouse insiders: USA Today Ohio Network Statehouse reporter Jessie Balmert, Republican strategist Mark Weaver, and Democratic strategist Stanley Gates.
Snollygoster of the week
Columbus City Council and mayoral elections are rarely competitive, but this year there was one. Under a relatively new system, Columbus City Council members must represent districts, and the race for the district in the southwestern part of the city was very heated. It featured Tiara Ross and Jessie Vogel. Ross was the insider, handpicked by the Democratic establishment and endorsed by the Democratic Party. Vogel was the outsider.
And if you look at the results, Vogel easily won the district vote by a 60–40 margin. But he lost. Even though candidates must live in districts, they have to win votes citywide.
It’s a strange system that critics say is designed to make it hard for outsiders to win seats on the Columbus City Council. This year, it did just that — because Vogel narrowly lost to Ross, 51% to 49%.
The Columbus Way prevailed again.