Margaret Ruhl, a second-term Republican from Mt.
Tom Letson, a three-term incumbent Democrat from Warren, Ohio, is facing two challengers in the 64 th House District primary: Sheila Calko and David Cook.Īndrew Brenner, a first-term incumbent Republican from Delaware County, faces a primary challenge from Craig Schweitzer in the new 67 th House District. Peter Stautberg, an incumbent Republican from the Cincinnati area is being challenged by former State Representative Tom Brinkman in the new 27 th House District.ĭenise Driehaus, an incumbent Democrat from the Cincinnati area, established residency in the new 31 st House District, an open seat, and is facing three challengers in the primary: Terry Tranter, Luke Brockmeier and Sandra Queen Noble. Ohio House Primary RacesĪll of the 99 seats in the Ohio House are up for election this year to two-year terms. As the March 6 primary election approaches, here is a look at some of the key races that are shaping up in the new state legislative and congressional districts. Complicating matters and adding additional concerns to the redistricting debate, Ohio was forced to reduce its number of congressional districts from its current 18 down to 16 due to Ohio’s slow population growth in relation to other states in the U.S. However, after Democrats threatened to subject the redistricting legislation to a referendum vote, Republicans and Democrats eventually reached an agreement in December to pass legislation slightly modifying the districts and re-unifying Ohio’s primary election to be held on March 6, 2012. The Republican-dominated General Assembly initially passed a bill setting the new districts in September, but due to lack of bipartisan support for an immediate effective date, the bill would have required Ohio to hold two separate primary elections in 2012.
In Ohio, congressional redistricting is accomplished through passage of legislation by the Ohio General Assembly. Similarly, just as Ohio’s legislative districts must be redrawn following the decennial census, so must Ohio’s congressional districts be reconfigured. The Court issued an initial ruling that allows the new districts to stand for this year’s election, but plans to hear additional arguments over whether the new maps should remain in place for the remainder of the decade. In January, a group of former Democrat lawmakers filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the new maps. Amid complaints that the proposed new districts were skewed too heavily in favor of Republicans, the Board adopted the new maps on September 30, 2011. Four Republicans – Governor John Kasich, Senate President Tom Niehaus, Auditor of State Dave Yost and Secretary of State Jon Husted – served on the Apportionment Board along with a lone Democrat, House Minority Leader Armond Budish. The Ohio legislative districts must include 99 House Districts and 33 Senate Districts. Intellectual Property, Entertainment, and Technology ProtectionĪ B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZĮvery 10 years, following the census, the Ohio Apportionment Board is tasked with redrawing Ohio’s House and Senate districts to reflect changes in population.Information Technology, New Media and Advertising.Ally Law (International Alliance of Law Firms).