Ohio Politics Explained: From U.S. Senate race to redistricting, the biggest stories of 2022
From redistricting to the midterm elections and the overturning of federal abortion protections, 2022 has been a big year for news.
We explain the biggest stories we covered in this special episode of Ohio Politics Explained.
Ohio Politics Explained is a podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau that catches you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporters Jessie Balmert, Laura Bischoff and Haley BeMiller.
1) Does anybody have a map?
Redistricting was the song that never ended in 2021 − and 2022.
Ohioans ultimately voted with maps for statehouse and congressional seats that the Ohio Supreme Court repeatedly ruled violated voter-approved anti-gerrymandering language in the state constitution. The result was an expensive, poorly attended second primary in August to pick candidates for state House and Senate seats.
In the final analysis, Ohio's congressional delegation shifted from 12 Republicans and four Democrats to 10 Republicans and five Democrats. And Republicans surged to record highs in the Ohio Statehouse.
The fight isn't over. Ohio needs new maps for 2024.
More:Ohio voters wanted redistricting reform. They got unconstitutional maps
2) U.S. Senate showdown
The race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman was a roller coaster from the crowded GOP primary to Democrat Tim Ryan's attempt to make inroads with voters who backed former President Donald Trump.
Venture capitalist and "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance emerged victorious with a little help from Trump's endorsement and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel's millions.
The nationally watched race became a referendum on whether Democrats could compete in the one-time swing state Ohio. In the end, Ohio's Senate seat stayed red, but Democrats managed to keep control of the Senate.
More:How J.D. Vance won an Ohio U.S. Senate race that captured national attention | Analysis
3) COVID-19 hits schools hard
The kids are not alright after the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures that followed.
Coming out of the pandemic, children are still struggling with chronic absenteeism and mental health. About 30% of Ohio students were chronically absent from school during the 2021-22 school year, and the rate was even higher for urban schools and Black students.
Ohio's children's rates of depression and/or anxiety also climbed by 42% from 2016 to 2020, according to the annual KIDS COUNT data book.
These problems aren't going away anytime soon, so expect more reporting in 2023.
More:30% of Ohio students chronically absent from school in 2021-22 school year
4) Abortion fight isn't over after U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Hours later, Ohio had imposed a 2019 law banning most abortions.
The law, which prohibited doctors from performing abortions after cardiac activity is detected, forced pregnant Ohioans to seek abortions elsewhere. That included a 10-year-old rape victim from Franklin County whose story of obtaining an abortion in Indiana rose to national prominence.
Ohio's abortion ban is on hold by a court order for now, but the fight over when and where abortions can be performed will continue into 2023.
More:The day that Roe v. Wade fell: Panic, praise at Ohio's abortion clinics
Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Politics: From elections to abortion, the biggest stories of 2022
