Ohio Democrats and Republicans voted in favor of a new congressional map on Friday that gives GOP lawmakers an edge in two key districts.
The map was created without public input in a unanimous vote from the Ohio Redistricting Commission and will remain in place until 2030.
The new map could make it more difficult for Democratic Reps. Greg Landsman (Ohio) and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) to win reeleciton. Kaptur narrowly won reelection in 2024 when she was a top GOP target, retaking her seat by less than a percentage point.
Ohio Democrats went along with the map, according to The Columbus Dispatch, because its new lines would likely spare Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), who represents a seat in Akron, while keeping a separate seat in Cincinnati competitive.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said that the map could leave Republicans with a 12-3 advantage, arguing the party should be happy with the result.
“For Republicans who might not like this (outcome), I would simply say that this very well could be a 12-3 map. Those are pretty darn good numbers,” DeWine told reporters, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Republicans currently hold 10 of the 15 congressional seats in Ohio, according to The Associated Press.
Because the map is a deal between the two parties, Democrats are giving up any chance to chalenge the map in 2026.
“It resolves it, and I think lessens the chance that there might be a referendum that our side might lose,” DeWine.
Voter advocacy groups have raised concerns with the swift approval of new congressional districts.
“It’s clear by their actions today that the politicians on the Ohio Redistricting Commission don’t care about voters or good government. They only care about their own power,” Jen Miller, president of the League of Women Voters Ohio said in a statement.
“The public was shut out, the process rigged, and incumbents favored. The resulting Congressional map still doesn’t reflect the will of the voters of Ohio. Republican and Democratic voters feel like their parties sold them out-and they’re both right,” she added.
The organization and other groups had previously been pushing for a ballot measure that would have allowed constituents to have influence over map making.
Now, Ohio joins Missouri, Texas and North Carolina in approving redrawn lines ahead of mid-term elections.
