The Cincinnati region gets a new member of Congress today. Greg Landsman to be sworn in
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U.S. Rep-elect Greg Landsman can drop the "elect" from his title today.
Landsman will take the oath of office today as Congress convenes.
Landsman, a Democrat from Mount Washington, unseated Westwood Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot in November in the 1st Congressional District. Chabot had represented the region in Congress for 26 years before losing this year in an expensive and brutal campaign.
Landsman had served on Cincinnati City Council since 2017.
Landsman, in a press conference in mid-December, emphasized the significance of the Jan.3 swearing-in of Congress, the first since the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol.
“It needs to mean something. It certainly means something to me," Landsman said.
Landsman took aim at those members of Congress who, after the Jan. 6 insurrection, voted against certifying the election results in some states. Chabot, the man Landsman defeated, voted against certifying the election results in Pennsylvania.
Landsman's victory marked a major milestone for the Democrats in their dominance of Cincinnati-area politics. They control all but one seat on Cincinnati City Council and all but two countywide elected offices in Hamilton County.
Now they have one of the county's two congressional seats. Landsman represents all of Cincinnati and the eastern portion of Hamilton County as well as all of Warren County to the north. Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Troy, represents western Hamilton County outside of Cincinnati's city limits, including Green Township, Cheviot and Harrison.
Republican lawmakers had to redraw the lines through redistricting by including all of the more heavily Democratic Cincinnati in Chabot's district. It gave the Democrats a slight edge.
It's not clear how likely it is that Republicans can regain the 1st Congressional District, or where candidates may come from. The current borders could be redrawn for the 2024 election. Courts have declared the current maps unconstitutional.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Democrat Greg Landsman joins Congress today and takes oath
