Cleveland Plain Dealer...
New congressional map rolled out
Kucinich on the outs, Democrats balk at quick vote  
November  6, 2011 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A revised congressional map unveiled Thursday by Ohio House Republicans squeezes Cleveland congressman Dennis Kucinich by dropping more than 90,000 Lucas County voters into a solidly Democratic Lake Erie district so that it now appears to favor Toledo Rep. Marcy Kaptur. 

The shift in that district -- where Democrats Kucinich and Kaptur are pitted against one another -- was one of the new story lines as a Republican bid to gain Democratic support for an alternative congressional map blew up on the House floor during a fiery session marked by angry accusations and gaveled-down remarks. 

When the dust cleared and both sides had climbed out of the ring, the 99 House members were no closer to a deal on a new congressional map, and confusion about next year’s elections continued to reign. 

The path forward wasn’t clear -- a new round of bipartisan talks is expected, and looming in the distance could be a federal court case if no agreement can be reached by early December. 

Yet hope remained for a deal as Speaker William G. Batchelder punted the alternative map to the House Rules and Reference Committee, where hearings would begin Monday. Batchelder said the goal was to “come to a place where we can all come to an agreement that is acceptable to everybody -- nobody is going to be that happy with it.” 

Because the committee is stocked with the leadership of both parties, Batchelder said he was optimistic about a deal. “It gives us a chance to negotiate,” said the Medina Republican. 

Thursday’s action capped a week of backroom talks as Republicans tried to persuade black Democratic lawmakers to give them seven votes they need for an emergency clause that would make the new map referendum-proof. 

The first map, which the GOP-controlled legislature passed in September, drew 12 solidly Republican districts and four Democratic districts. Democrats panned that map as unfair and launched a referendum this week to try to overturn it in November 2012. 

If a deal can’t be struck, Batchelder told reporters he is prepared to draw a third map tailored to Republican specifications and not as favorable to Democrats. 

Thursday’s GOP map made some changes sought by black Democrats, drawing districts that keep urban areas in Toledo, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati together. The changes also bumped up the percentage of black voters in a new Democratic district in Franklin County. 

But the new lines weren’t enough to draw Democratic support for a motion to suspend normal rules and allow a House floor vote. 

Noticeably absent from the vote were six Democrats, including Rep. Sandra Williams of Cleveland, head of Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, as well as three other black lawmakers from Cuyahoga County. Williams said she was late to the session and did not vote. 

The changes in Toledo were some of the most dramatic made in the revised map. The map also divided Lorain County into three districts instead of two. Republican Bob Gibbs of Holmes County would get a smaller share than the previous map gave him, and Republican Jim Jordan of Champaign County, a conservative leader who heads the Republican Study Committee, would get much of central Lorain County. Areas closest to the lake would be part of the Kaptur/Kucinich district. 

Kucinich sent supporters a fundraising email Thursday that said he backed the first map because it “gave the advantage to my constituents in the greater Cleveland area.” His email accused Democrats in the General Assembly of trying to take away his district by diluting “the strength of my core constituency in Cleveland.” 

The email suggested he might take a new political direction if the revised map is approved. “With your immediate contribution – and continual support – I will continue to be of service,” it said. His press spokesman did not return requests for comment on the vote. 

Kaptur spokesman Steve Fought said Thursday’s actions show that the redistricting process is broken. He predicted the dispute will end up in court.

“This is not about whether the new map favors Marcy Kaptur or doesn’t favor Dennis Kucinich, it is about that it doesn’t favor the state of Ohio,” said Fought. “The Republicans are producing chaos and confusion and nobody knows what is going on. The only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain.” 

Former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Jim Ruvolo, a longtime Kaptur advisor, predicted Kaptur would defeat Kucinich in either district configuration, but anticipates the extra Lucas County voters would give her “additional padding to win, if it were to be the final district.” 

Ray Yonkura, a spokesman for Jordan, took the changes in stride. 

“We have a big district right now that covers 11 counties and we are able to actively represent that,” he said. “The same will hold true for whatever the new Fourth District ends up being.” 

Democrats said they offered their own alternative late Thursday that Republicans rejected: A map with four solidly Democratic districts, six solidly Republican districts and six districts that lean Republican but are competitive. 

“We decided to not come with a posturing position, but come in with something that we thought was extremely reasonable and responsible,” said House Minority Leader Armond Budish of Beachwood. 

Batchelder said there wasn’t enough time to properly consider the offer. 

“It was time to move on, get another bill introduced and then work around that bill,” Batchelder said. 

After the vote to suspend the rules failed, tempers flared when Rep. Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, used a parliamentary speech to express disappointment that Democrats were blocking GOP efforts to fix the redistricting mess. 

That brought a rebuttal from Budish, who was quickly cut off by Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Napoleon Republican, who yelled that Budish was making “an outrageous speech that should not be allowed.” 

Moments later -- as Budish accused Republicans of trying to make secret deals -- Wachtmann again interrupted, yelling: “These lies shouldn’t be allowed on the floor, Mr. Speaker.” 

Batchelder eventually gaveled down Budish as more than a dozen Republicans left their seats and milled about the back of the chamber.

Youngstown-area Democratic Rep. Bobby Hagan rose and said the redistricting fight was distracting from problems such as joblessness and poverty. “Quite frankly, I’m left wondering what the hell we are doing down here,” Hagan said angrily. 

After the session, the veteran Batchelder said: “This is a very emotional time. It’s not easy for anybody out here, and I understand that.” 

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