As redistricting drags on, Ohio Republicans get serious about 2022's 'flip-able' districts

As the Ohio Supreme Court debates whether this round of legislative maps are legal, Republicans are starting to focus on the "flip-able" seats in the state House and Senate.

The GOP already controls more than 60% of the seats in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there are a handful of seats in the suburbs that they'd like to capture.

That's where Michele Reynolds comes in. The Canal Winchester Republican is a married mother of two, a Madison Township trustee and the founder of the EXIT Program, a nonprofit that supports people leaving prison.

"The people of District 3 deserve a senator who works hard, who is at the table finding solutions that work for us," Reynolds said.

Senate District 3, which currently includes New Albany, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg and parts of Columbus, was held by Republicans until 2018 when Maharath won in an upset that even surprised members of her own party.

The Franklin County Democratic Party didn't endorse her, Maharath ran her campaign with very little money and Senate Republicans spent more than $800,000 attacking her character.

But that won't be the case this time around. Both the Ohio Democratic Party and the Ohio Senate Democrats are throwing their full support behind Sen. Tina Maharath, D-Canal Winchester, the first Asian American woman elected to the Ohio Senate. .

"We are really looking forward to highlighting her track record," Ohio Senate Democrats Director Simon Dallas said. "We’re expecting a fight this year, but we fully anticipate Sen. Maharath to come out on top."

During her time in the Senate, Maharath has sponsored bills to ban landlords from putting mandatory cable fees in leases, increase access to diapers for families in need and banning conversion therapy for minors.

Republicans know this particular seat is going to be a fight. The current lines draw a district that's a true swing seat. Fifty percent Democrat and 47% Republican. But the new lines (which are tied up in court) would give Maharath a 55% to 43% advantage.

"Despite the recent discussions about lines, I think the most important things you have are the candidates, the campaigns and the financial infrastructure," Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said.

And he intends to make sure Reynolds has all three. He said he saw how hard she worked to win a Franklin County Commissioner seat in 2018 "even though there wasn’t much of a chance."

"I think that’s what it takes," he said. "A candidate who has got fire in their belly."

Reynold's has also got the backing of some statewide Republicans.

Tina Husted, wife of Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, promised the couple would "be there for you. We want to help you. We want to support you. Whatever we can do."

Gov. Mike DeWine's office was more cautious, declining to comment on the candidacy of his former director of faith-based and community initiatives. Reynolds resigned her position with the governor's office Friday.

Democrats, however, were quick to pounce on Reynolds connection to the governor.

"Ohioans of both political parties are not buying what Mike DeWine is selling," Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Matt Keyes said. "Anyone with ties to DeWine will have to answer for a record of selling out the needs of working Ohioans to the highest special interest bidder."

Anna Staver is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. It 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 GOP get serious about 2022's swing seat districts