Ohio
SUPER STATE STRATEGY
Our primary objectives in Ohio are to: 1) compete for the state’s 18 Electoral College votes and 2) curb Republican control of the state government by breaking the GOP’s legislative supermajority in the Ohio State House.
In the state House, we are currently targeting seven districts—six GOP-held seats and one Democratic hold. Democrats need to net just two flipped seats to break the GOP’s supermajority in the chamber. Our pathway to victory runs through Ohio’s urban centers: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron, and Dayton.
In the state Senate, we are currently targeting three districts—two GOP-held seats and one Democratic hold. These geographies overlap with our Ohio State House targets. To establish a viable pathway to victory, it’s critical that Democrats improve on past performance of statewide candidates in these regions.
By the numbers
8
Seats needed to flip the state senate
12
Seats needed to flip the state house
18
Electoral College votes
OH State Senate targets
OH State House targets
What's at stake
Gerrymandering
The Ohio GOP is using partisan gerrymandering to help them stay in power.
Voters in Ohio overwhelmingly approved redistricting reform through a ballot initiative in the 2018 midterms. But, even with this progress, the GOP can still push through gerrymandered maps every four years.
Working to elect Democrats at the state level is critical to stopping this process.
Reproductive Rights
The Republican-led Legislature passed an early abortion ban in 2019. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the ban.
As of 2014, 93% of Ohio counties had no clinics providing abortions. People seeking care in Ohio are subject to a 24-hour waiting period and mandatory anti-abortion counseling.
We need more Democrats in the Legislature to overturn the early abortion ban and further protect reproductive rights in Ohio.
Voting Rights
Ohio is in the bottom five states for ease of voting (based on time and effort). And the Ohio GOP has made it harder for people to vote.
In 2014, Republican lawmakers eliminated 'Golden Week' - when Ohioans could register and vote in the first week of early voting. Now, early voting in Ohio happens for just 28 days leading up to Election Day. The polls are open for only 13 hours on Election Day.
Electing Democrats to the state house is the best way to help restore early voting and make it easer to cast a ballot.
Live in OH? Set up a 1:1 call with a member of the Swing Left team to find out how you can make the biggest impact.
Take the OH Super State Strategy on the go: Download the PDF
