While no longer a swing state, Ohio is a key battleground for Republicans in their bid to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. It is one of three states whose congressional districts may change due to litigation before the 2026 midterm elections, according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit online encyclopedia. The other states are Louisiana and Georgia.
In Louisiana the Washington Examiner estimates one Republican seat pickup is possible. In Ohio, Republicans could pick up as many as three additional seats for a total congressional delegation of 13 Republicans and two Democrats.
The state currently has 10 Republicans and five Democrats that make up its representation in the House. Among the delegation are some of the most powerful House Republicans including the current chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, and the past chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Turner.
While redistricting is typically done every 10 years after the U.S. census mandated by the federal Constitution, Ohio has a state Constitution that stipulates that electoral maps for U.S. representatives in the House are only in effect for four years if they are enacted without significant support from the political party in the minority in the state Legislature. That means that Ohio will be redistricted before the 2026 midterms.
Ohio Democrats Reps. Joyce Beatty and Shontel Brown, both Democrats, are generally seen as staying in safe House districts no matter how the redistricting pans out. That leaves Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, who represents the Cincinnati area, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, who comes from the Toledo area and Rep. Emelia Sykes, D-Ohio, who hails from a district that includes Akron as prime targets in the GOP’s redistricting efforts.
“It is no surprise national and state Republicans in Columbus are scheming to confuse and handpick voters by gerrymandering Ohio congressional districts again,” David Zavac, a top Kaptur staffer, told Punchbowl News about the Republicans’ redistricting effort.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Republican, thinks the GOP will “probably end up” winning two additional seats after the redistricting, creating a delegation of 12 Republicans and three Democrats.
Ohio has reached national prominence in recent years when it provided its junior senator, JD Vance, as the vice-presidential candidate for President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 campaign.
Additionally, 2024 presidential candidate and tech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy is currently running to be the Republican candidate in the November 2026 gubernatorial election. Ramaswamy has been endorsed by Trump, Elon Musk, and the Ohio Republican Party’s state central committee.