Confusion reigns in Ohio redistricting fight

Associated Press

TOLEDO

With less than a year left before the 2012 congressional elections, the fight over redrawing Ohio’s political map means some candidates don’t know yet where they’ll end up running.

The resulting confusion is making it more difficult for some to raise money, organize their campaigns and know which voters to woo.

Most incumbents have a pretty good idea how their U.S. House districts will look next year, but challengers who don’t have their network of volunteers and staff in place are at a bigger disadvantage. So are incumbents whose districts are changing significantly.

Potential donors want to know whether the candidates who are asking for money will end up representing them. And the candidates want to make sure they’re not spending time knocking on doors in neighborhoods that might be outside their district.

Voters are confused, too.

“I’ve heard, ‘Where is your district; where are you running?”’ said state Sen. Nina Turner, a Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge in her Cleveland district. “All I can do is speculate and tell people what I know.”

U.S. House district lines for Ohio have been in limbo since they were approved in September because Democrats and voter advocates claim the map unfairly favors Republicans.

Democrats have taken steps to put the issue before voters next year, so Republicans are now trying to come up with a revised congressional map to head off a costly political fight.

It’s unclear whether lawmakers will be able to reach an agreement before the end of the year. Leaders in the Ohio House say talks are continuing, but they must pass a revised map within a few weeks to avoid holding a presidential and U.S. House primary in June and other primary contests in March.

At the same time, Democrats are circulating petitions to get the redistricting issue on the ballot. There’s also a lawsuit in southwest Ohio asking a judge to draw new lines since lawmakers can’t solve it.

The candidates running for Congress can’t wait for the final map to begin designing their strategy.

“It’s like building a business. When you’re putting a campaign together you need some predictability,” said Steve Fought, a spokesman for Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo whose district is now likely to include parts of Cleveland.