Ohio Senate approves new congressional district maps favoring GOP

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The Ohio Senate approved a new congressional map Tuesday, sending it to the House for a vote as early as Wednesday.

The plan, which passed along party lines, would last for only 4 years, as it was developed without bipartisan support.

Based on past election outcomes, the new map, if approved, would create two safe Democratic seats, one in Cleveland and one in Columbus. The other thirteen districts would either be Safe Republican or Lean Republican districts, turning Ohio into a 13R-2D state, as opposed to the current 12R-4D state currently. (Ohio lost a House seat after the 2020 U.S. Census.)

The Ohio Senate approves a new congressional map and sends it to the House for a vote as early... — The Ohio Senate approves a new congressional map and sends it to the House for a vote as early as tomorrow.(WTVG)

The new map could make for a more difficult re-election run for Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has represented Toledo and its surrounding communities since first being elected in 1982.

Rep. Kaptur’s current 9th district map, while being a safe Democratic seat, was also a matter of suspected gerrymandering. When it was created for the 2012 election, it ended up pitting Kaptur against fellow long-time Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich, who Kaptur defeated in the primary.