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Hi Friend,
Yesterday was the final day to count mail-in ballots for Ohio’s primary election, and we now have official nominees in all 10 of our target state legislative races. Now, after years of gerrymandered maps, Ohioans will have a chance to get fair maps and fair elections. We can help by supporting Democrats as they run to flip seats in the state capitol this November.
Background:
Ohio is a Republican trifecta: the GOP holds the governor’s office and supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. But the state isn’t as red as it looks. Congressional and state-level districts skew representation toward the GOP, giving Democrats fewer seats for their share of the vote.
Take 2018 for example: the Ohio GOP won 75% of congressional seats (12 of 16) with 52% of the statewide vote; 62% of state House seats (61 of 99) with just 52% of the vote; and 59% of state Senate seats (10 of 17 up for election that year) with only 47% of the vote.
Even though Ohio voters approved modest redistricting reforms in 2015 and 2018, state legislators can still gerrymander under the new plan: going forward, the skewed maps will be in place for four years instead of 10.
Our goal:
While flipping Ohio blue isn’t within reach in 2020, Democrats can break the GOP’s supermajority in the state House by gaining a minimum of two seats and make important inroads in the state Senate. Winning these races in November will strengthen Democrats' negotiating power during redistricting in 2021 and help curb harmful GOP policies like abortion bans and loose gun laws.
Our candidates:
These 10 Ohio Democrats are running in highly competitive legislative districts this year:
- Monique Smith, House District 16 (Cleveland)
- Nancy Day-Achauer, House District 23 (Columbus)
- Sara Bitter, House District 27 (Cincinnati)
- Matt Shaughnessy, House District 36 (Akron)
- Amy Cox, House District 43 (Dayton)
- Zach Stepp, House District 55 (Elyria)
- Dan Troy, House District 60 (Greater Cleveland)
- Crystal Lett, Senate District 16 (Columbus Area)
- Tom Jackson, Senate District 24 (Cleveland Area)
- Sen. Sean O’Brien, Senate District 32 (Northeast Ohio)
Now that the primary is over, these candidates are focusing on educating voters about their platforms, scaling digital programs, and building their teams in the lead-up to November. If you’re able to donate, please consider making a contribution to the Flippable Fund to help these Ohio Democrats—and all our 2020 candidates—compete in a high-stakes election year. 
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