A bipartisan redistricting committee in Ohio unanimously passed a new congressional map on Friday, October 31, that seems likely to flip two blue seats red in the 2026 midterm elections. Even the Democrats got behind this new GOP-friendly map, but the most likely alternative would have been considerably worse for them.
States both red and blue are racing to create new congressional district maps ahead of the midterms. President Donald Trump asked for a mid-decade redistricting from Republican-controlled states, which triggered reactions from Democratic governors across the nation. Both sides are now trying to flip as many seats as possible before November of next year, but so far, the GOP seems to be winning the gerrymandering game.
Meanwhile, Ohio was actually forced by the state constitution to draw new congressional maps this year because the current one, approved in 2022, didn’t receive bipartisan support.
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### Republicans Win in Ohio – But Democrats Don’t Quite Lose
Generally, redistricting happens once a decade after the census. In 2022, Ohio lawmakers carried out this task, but the resulting map didn’t gain bipartisan support in the legislature, as required by the state constitution. So now, in 2025, it had to be done again.
The new congressional map approved by Ohio’s bipartisan redistricting commission was a definite win for Republicans. However, in a way, it can also be called a win for Ohio Democrats – or, at the very least, not nearly the loss they could have suffered.
The new map gives the GOP a better chance at flipping two seats currently occupied by Democrats. Representative Marcy Kaptur’s Ninth District, which already leaned Republican, got redder, and Representative Greg Landsman’s First District now leans Republican as well. Meanwhile, Representative Emilia Sykes’s blue 13th District got bluer, and a few Republican districts also became redder.
Currently, Ohio has ten Republicans and five Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The most likely outcome of next year’s election is a 12-3 majority for Republicans. But it could have been worse for Democrats had they not agreed to this plan.
According to some reports, Republicans on the redistricting commission showed Democrats an alternative map favoring a 13-2 GOP-led delegation to Congress. If the bipartisan committee—made up of Governor Mike DeWine, Auditor of State Keith Faber, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and four appointees of the legislature (one each for the state senate and house minority and majority leaders)—had failed to approve a map, it would have fallen to the state legislature.
With Republicans holding a 24-9 majority in the state senate and a 65-34 majority in the state house, they would have had no trouble passing the more aggressive option. Democrats could then challenge it with a popular vote referendum, but they would have needed to gather nearly a quarter-million signatures in just 90 days—a tall order anytime, but especially during the holidays and an Ohio winter.
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### GOP Winning the Gerrymandering Game – For Now
While Ohio was required by its constitution to redistrict, it’s just one of many states playing the gerrymandering game. President Trump’s call for Republicans to pick up as many seats as possible through new congressional maps mid-decade was answered by several GOP governors. Meanwhile, a handful of Democrats launched their own campaigns to counter the effort.
Lawmakers in Texas and Missouri passed new maps in August and September, respectively, which favor Republicans. North Carolina followed suit once a state Supreme Court ruling allowed it, leading to several Democrat-held districts likely to flip Republican in the next elections. Indiana has also called for a special session to redraw maps, and Florida officials have raised the possibility of doing the same.
On the bluer side of things, Democratic leaders in New York, Illinois, and California have pushed to redraw maps in their favor. So far, only California seems likely to make it happen in time for next year’s elections. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s own gerrymandering scheme requires a popular vote referendum to proceed. Initially, this seemed like too heavy a lift, but recent polling indicates the November 4 vote might just go his way.
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As the midterm elections approach, the battle over congressional district maps will continue to play a critical role in shaping the political landscape across the country. Ohio’s new map is just one example of how the gerrymandering game remains a powerful tool for both parties in their fight for control of Congress.
https://www.libertynation.com/new-map-in-ohio-favors-republicans-and-democrats-made-it-happen/