Rep. Mark Sigrist: Approved Redistricting Map Prevents Trump from Stealing More Congressional Seats

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Mark Sigrist (D-Grove City) today released the following statement concerning Friday’s meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission where a negotiated congressional map was approved that ensures current Democratic seats remain competitive races: 

“Today, we made the best out of a situation heavily tilted against us. Although this is not ideal, this is the best way to stay in the fight for Ohio,” said Rep. Sigrist.

The map approved today can be viewed here. During the two-months long redistricting process, Ohio Republicans threatened to follow President Donald Trump's orders and grossly gerrymander Ohio maps further by eliminating three Democratic seats and taking the current map of ten Republicans and five Democrats to a grossly misrepresentative 13-2 map without a single competitive district. This would have taken place on November 1, handing Speaker Mike Johnson more power. Democratic leaders in Ohio were steadfast to prevent that undemocratic power grab from happening.

This has all been to steal Ohioans’ right to weigh in on Republicans’ record of higher costs and broken promises. That’s what Republicans did in Texas and Missouri.

Here’s how the new map compares:

• The current delegation includes 5 Democrats. Cook Political Report ranks 1 of those districts likely Dem and 2 as toss-up. Crystal Ball ranks 1 as lean Dem and 2 as toss-up.
• Under the new map - 1 of those districts should be likely or lean Dem and 2 as toss-up. That’s an unchanged map.
• Greg Landsman, Emilia Sykes, and Marcy Kaptur are going to win their races next fall and help Democrats win back the Majority in the House of Representatives to stop Republicans’ runaway spending on tax cuts for the rich that are driving costs up for working families.
• It’s not the fair map that Ohio voters deserve, but this was our surest path to ensuring both that we can hold the current Democrats, and that Ohioans get to have competitive races in as many districts as we could.

This doesn’t preclude future ballot initiatives or efforts for fair maps in Ohio. Democrats remain committed to fair maps, and ultimately the only solution to this madness is to take power out of the hands of politicians and let voters choose their elected officials.

Friday’s meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission can be watched in its entirety here.