COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Democrats have proposed a congressional map that reduces the number of Republican U.S. representatives, saying it reflects voting patterns. GOP leaders laughed at the idea, called it a "fantasy," and say they are still planning to take away blue seats.
With a slim Republican majority in the U.S. House, Ohio Democrats are trying to get a running start on protecting — and even growing — seats for their party.
"Voters should get to choose their elected officials, not the other way around," House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) said Tuesday. "What we have proposed follows the law and gives voters the voice they deserve in their congressional representation."
The congressional redistricting process is starting in Ohio, and Isaacsohn and Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) proposed a map they say is fair and competitive.
"It follows statewide voter preference from the last ten years to create seven seats that lean slightly to the left and eight seats that lean toward the right," Antonio said.
Currently, there are 10 Republicans and 5 Democrats representing Ohio in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump won Ohio 55-44% in 2024. With that result, Ohio’s 15 congressional districts would proportionately be eight Republican and seven Democratic.
From an initial viewing of the map provided by Democrats, it seems that nearly all counties are left whole, while 14 counties are split once. Incumbents are left in their districts.
But Ohio Republican Party leader Tony Schroeder said this map is a non-starter.
"Look, it's as much a fantasy as the Wizard of Oz," Schroeder said.
RELATED: Ohio congressional redistricting process begins on heels of Texas battle
It's unfair, he said, since Dems are primarily in cities, and including them in rural districts will dilute the GOP representation.
"This would create situations where people in rural Ohio, especially, would be governed by people directly in urban centers in this state," Schroeder said.
Republicans are eyeing three seats: Democratic U.S. Reps. Emilia Sykes of District 13 in Northeast Ohio, Marcy Kaptur of District 9 in Northwest Ohio, and Greg Landsman of District 1 in Southwest Ohio:
RELATED: Ohio GOP eyes U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes’ seat as congressional redistricting begins
Districts 13 (Sykes) and 9 (Kaptur) lean slightly left in the proposed map, while District 1 (Landsman) is a solid blue district.
Schroeder said a Republican seat advantage of 12-3 or 13-2 is the goal. He said maps should be drawn based on physical location, not where voters are located.
Voters chose the GOP supermajority, he said, controlling every aspect of this process.
"The people recognize that the state of Ohio is a Republican state, and the idea that we're going to take a Republican majority in these current congressional maps and go back to a slim or a minority representation is fiction," he said.
Lawmakers get the first crack at making a map, but if a bipartisan consensus can’t be reached, it goes to the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
"Do you feel like the Democrats will even have a say in this process, since there's a GOP supermajority and the Ohio Redistricting Commission is run by Republicans?" I asked Democratic leaders.
"The beauty of serving in the minority for as many years as I have is — what I know is that if you don't act, if you don't propose change, then you have no possibility of ever seeing any kind of change, any kind of progress," Antonio said.
The first set of mapmaking hearings should happen this month.
"Given the process is still in its early stages, the Ohio House Majority will not be commenting on any specific maps at this time," House Speaker Matt Huffman's spokesperson Olivia Wile said.
By law, state legislators must have a congressional map by the end of November.
"It's important to remember that the current map is constitutional based on the U.S. Supreme Court vacating the narrow 4-3 O'Connor ruling," Senate President Rob McColley's spokesperon John Fortney said. "We are still very early in the process."
Learn more about the Redistricting issues of 2022 and the attempt to change who is in charge of mapmaking in 2024, one that failed.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
