Franklin County Recorder Danny O'Connor (D) announced Wednesday that he is ending his campaign for Ohio's 15th Congressional district, citing the recent redistricting of the state map as his reason for dropping out of the race.
The 15th Congressional district U.S. House seat is currently held by Republican Mike Carey. O'Connor nearly pulled off an upset in Ohio's 12th Congressional district race in 2018, but was narrowly defeated by Republican Congressman Troy Balderson.
The statement released by O'Connor reads in part, “In 2018, Ohioans were loud and clear in their opposition to partisan gerrymandering. A process was put in place that conferred the responsibility to end that gerrymandering to the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The Republican-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission ignored that process, drew unconstitutional maps, and denied Ohioans the chance at fair representation."
In March the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved a Republican-drawn congressional map after the first map was struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court for being unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Observers say the latest map creates 10 districts that heavily favor Republicans, three that heavily favor Democrats and two competitive districts that lean slightly in favor of Democrat candidates.
After much discernment, we have decided to end our campaign for Ohio’s 15th Congressional district. Spenser and I thank you so much for your love and support towards our effort.
— Danny O'Connor (@dannyoconnor1) April 14, 2022
My full statement is below: pic.twitter.com/S4dF9NR6IB
The statement goes on to say, “It’s shameful that the ACLU Ohio and the League of Women Voters stopped fighting for fair maps in 2022. It allowed the Republican dominated Ohio Redistricting Commission and the legislature to run roughshod over the Ohio Constitution and the will of Ohio voters."
In March the League of Women Voters of Ohio and the ACLU said they had to pull back on their fight over the congressional map for the 2022 election because they were out of time.
The Ohio Supreme Court consolidated two cases that are challenging the Congressional map as unconstitutionally gerrymandered, but no courtroom arguments were set – which means the map will be used for the 2022 election year unless a federal court intervenes.
The Ohio primary election is set for May 3rd, although Ohio House and Senate races will not be on the ballot after the Ohio Supreme Court struck down the third set of proposed maps for being unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
For information on how to vote and a rundown of what you can expect on your ballot, visit WOSU's 2022 Voter Guide.
