Akron Rep. Emilia Sykes enters race for competitive 13th Congressional District

Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes will run for the open the 13th Congressional District, giving Democrats a high-profile contender in what's shaping up to be a competitive race.

Sykes' announcement on Tuesday came weeks after she stepped down from her role as House minority leader to explore other career options. In an interview with USA TODAY Network Ohio, she cast herself a fighter who could leverage her bipartisan work in Columbus to find common ground with congressional Republicans.

"People feel alone," she said. "They feel like there’s no one thinking of them, and it’s why people leave Ohio. Our Ohioans are our greatest asset, and we should be valuing them and adjusting to their needs."

More: How Akron's Emilia Sykes became the future of the Ohio Democratic Party

Sykes was first elected to her Akron district in 2014 and became the first Black female lawmaker under the age of 30 to serve in the Legislature. She hails from an Akron political family: Her mother, Barbara Sykes, served in the Ohio House and ran for state auditor and her father, Vernon Sykes, is a state senator.

In the Ohio House, Sykes got a bill signed into law that allows victims of dating violence to get protective orders, pushed to make sure Black Ohioans got needed resources during the pandemic and served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission. If elected to Congress, she said she aims to tackle a range of issues including health care, rising costs and access to high-speed internet.

"We live complicated lives, and we must be willing to tackle complicated issues at the same time," she said.

Sykes was elected as minority leader in 2019 after she helped deliver Democratic votes to elect former Rep. Larry Householder as House speaker. Black lawmakers, including Sykes, believed Householder's opponent – Republican Ryan Smith – fostered a racist culture in the Statehouse.

Sykes later called for Householder's removal after he was charged with racketeering in the House Bill 6 scandal.

Ohio's 13th Congressional District: State of the race

GOP mapmakers drew a new 13th Congressional District that includes Akron, Medina and parts of suburban Cleveland after U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez announced he wouldn't seek reelection in the current 16th Congressional District. Under that map, the 13th would be one of the most competitive in the state with a slight edge for Democrats, according to the popular redistricting website Dave's Redistricting.

But whether the district retains its proposed form remains to be seen. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the initial map last week, forcing lawmakers to go back to the drawing board and come up with new districts. The court noted that Summit County was one of three counties split up unnecessarily.

Sykes' potential Republican opponents include Max Miller, a close ally and former aide to Donald Trump, and Shay Hawkins, who previously worked for U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. Trump endorsed Miller when he initially set out to challenge Gonzalez and doubled down on his support after Ohio Republicans approved the new maps.

Gonzalez was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the former president after the riot.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Emilia Sykes announces bid for Ohio's 13th Congressional District